The Debutant

When Witney first came home, she dived straight under the bed. There, she spent her first three months in her new home. The new Mommy and Daddy she adopted were big, loud, and sometimes scary. They took good care of Witney, made sure she had plenty of food and water available if she needed it. Witney's sandbox was cleaned, daily. Witney's needs were well met and taken care of. The environment was just new and she was unfamiliar with the people in it. Everyday, either mama or daddy lay of the ground. (The strange people Witney had found herself with insisted on using parental terms to identify themselves to her. Witney yawned.) They put their hands under the bed to give pets and love and to let Witney smell them and get used to them. It helped, but Witney was still shy. She'd come out when SHE felt like it and not a moment before. Witney had to admit, though, her new family did go to a lot of trouble to make sure that she was happy and safe in her new home.

The efforts of mama and daddy were charming in their own way, Witneny supposed. Still she would make them wait just a little longer before she would make her grand appearance. Witney was a baby girl princess. She deserved a proper entrance as befitted her station.

Underneath the bed, Witney took lots of naps. If naptime was a sport, Witney would win gold in multiple categories. Quickest time to fall asleep. Quickest time to wake up. Duration of naps. Witney was a talented napper. It also gave her something to do while waiting for Mama and Daddy to go to bed. Because when Mama and Daddy were sleeping, it was the perfect time for Witney to sneak out of her hiding spot and explore a little. Naps and exploriting were two of Witney's favorite activities.

Witney had to be careful when exploring, though. The home was still new to her and there could be hidden dangers. Mama and Daddy, ('the crazies', as Witney called them,) stayed up late, but when they went to sleep, the apartment was dim and quiet. Perfect for sneaking.

It was just before dawn, one morning. Daddy had climbed into bed around 2AM. He was easy. He got tired, he passed out, whenever and wherever. Some nights he even fell asleep on the couch watching TV. Mama was harder to get down to sleep. She'd toss and turn and sit up and lay back down. Sometimes, she got up and paced around the apartment for awhile before putting herself back down. Witney wasn't sure BOTH her parents were asleep until the snoring started. Both Mama and Daddy snored. It was a weird noise to get used to in that first week. After that, the usual snorts and wheezes faded into background noise.

Witney waited and listened for the, now familiar, soft snores from mama and daddy. Witney got up and extended long,silken forelegs from underneath the bed. The bedsprings creaked and squeaked as Mama rolled over/ Witney froze and braced herself for voices and hands to start grabbing her and doing God knows what with her. There were no hands or voice. Mama settled back to sleep. Witney hissed a sigh of relief. She darted out from under the bed for a night of mischief.

Witney started her evening with a visit to the food and water bowls. Mama and Daddy made sure to find and set up a pet fountain for her. Witney appreciated the constant running water. To her, it seemed to taste better than stagnant water with all kinds of fur and debris floating around in it. Mama and Daddy made sure to keep the dish full of Witney's favorite brand of bottled water. 'AquaFeline.' It was just Aquafina, but … well … Witney did say her new parents were crazy.

After her nourishment, Witney tried her sandbox. It had been awhile and she had to go. She'd been holding her bladder all day and all night waiting for Mama and Daddy to finally go to sleep. The basics taken care of, Witney wandered all over the house looking for mischief. The place was full of strange smells and sights Witney had yet to notice.

Witney smelled all over the apartment. She wrinkled her little nose. The place still smelled way too much like Mama and Daddy, for Witney's tastes. The food, water, and sandbox started to make things feel like home to Witney, but she'd have to work to get her scent on everything. Witney decided to start with the fluffy rugs by the front door. She laid out on the rugs. She rolled to and from and rubbed her back all over the rug. Witney approved of her efforts. On to the next adventure.

Mama had left some clothes on the floor of the bathroom. 'Wouldn't Mama love it if she smelled like Witney, too?' Witney seemed to think so. She pilfered a stretched out sports bra and tucked it in her hidey hole under the bed

Next on Witney's agenda was rubbing her jaw against bookshelves. The apartment wasn't that big to the humans that lived there, but to little Witney, it was a huge palace. Last but not least Witney wanted to try the window in the bedroom. The one by Mama's side of the bed.

There were two ways to get into the window. One way was to climb over Mama or jump onto the nightstand. Witney chose the nightstand.

She jumped up and discovered her path blocked by a cactus that leaned over on it's side. Witney tiptoed around the cactus and was surprised by a flash of red outside the window.

"Hello, CAT!" A Cardinal called. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Hi!" Witney responded as she watched the red bird hunt for insects in the cracks of the parking lot outside. "Nice to meet you. My name is Witney."

“Nice to meet you,” The bird danced. “I don't really have a name but humans call me Cardinal” The Cardinal disappeared into a tree where the cheep-cheep-cheep of baby birds could be heard crying for breakfast. Witney poked her head back into the bedroom.

Daddy had sat up. He had leaned over and looked like he was doing an impression of the cactus in the window. Witney didn't think he was awake enough to notice her. Daddy tended not to be alert until he had had his coffee in the morning. She darted under the bed. Daddy sat hunched for a minute. Witney was concerned. She stuck her paws out from under the bed to tickle Daddy's legs. Daddy started and in a gentle voice so as not to scare Witney and said. “Good Morning, Witney.”

“Ih!” Witney responded and pulled her paws back under the bed. Daddy got up and staggered to the bathroom, turning on the light and closing the door.