Sunny

Seven year old Missy carried the small kitten to her mother,   “Can I keep her?” “Where did you find her?” “I found her by the shed in the backyard,” Missy answered.

Mother had Missy show her where she found the kitten. No signs of a mother cat was found. Mother knew that they could not just abandoned the little kitten, but was Missy ready to take care of a pet?

“How bad do you want to keep this little kitten, Missy?” “Ohh , I want her really bad momma, I love her.” Love her? 

Mother bent down next to Missy, and put her hands on Missy’s shoulders. “You love her?” Missy nodded. “Love is more than just playing with the kitten and a few hugs. This little kitten is going to need care and feedings.” 

“Please momma, I will take care of her.” “Well, let’s find out from the vet what we need to do and then we’ll decide.”

Mother and Missy took the kitten to the vet and learned the kitten was around four weeks old and would need to be fed every four hours a special kitten formula, for about two weeks. Then she could drink from a saucer and start on solids. They learned how to properly feed and care for the small kitten.

Mother asked Missy if she was sure she wanted to do this, because it meant that she had to feed the kitten every four hours from after breakfast to before bedtime. Mother would take care of mixing the formula for the day and feeding the kitten at night. Missy was sure.

Mother and Missy picked up what they needed for the little kitten. At home, they placed soft cloths in a small box for her bed. Missy watched carefully how mother took care of the kitten. Mother reminded Missy, “During the day, this little kitten is your responsibility.”

Missy learned quickly and after couple days Missy was able to care for the kitten with mother nearby “What are you going to call her?” “Sunny” “Why Sunny?” “Because she is gold like the sun.”

Missy fed Sunny and when the kitten was done eating, Missy held and patted her in case she needed to burp. Then she kissed her on top of the head and sang:

“You re not alone

I found you 

You’re r not alone 

I got you 

I will be here for you

You are not alone”

Mother could see how much Missy did care for the kitten.

However after about four days of always having to feed and care for the kitten, every four hours. Missy didn’t come in to the house when her mother said it was time to feed Sunny, instead she pleaded “Ten more minutes mommy, please?” “Missy, Sunny is waiting.” “Ten more minutes, ok mommy?” Missy went back to her playing.

Thirty minutes later Missy walked in the door. Missy went to get the bottle. “Too late, I already fed her.” “But I wanted to,” Missy whined. “No,” mother said, “you wanted to play an extra thirty minutes.”

“Sweetheart, Sunny is a baby and baby kittens need to be fed, in order to grow and live. She isn’t old enough eat solid food yet. She relies on us, on you.”

“If you don't want to take responsibility after you said you would, then we will have to find another home for her. That is up to you.”

Missy thought and with lip trembling, “Would you really give Sunny to somebody else momma?” “I would to protect her, if you are not going to take care of her.”

“Can’t you take care of her?” Missy asked. “Yes, I could, but sweetheart, when you found Sunny and wanted to keep her. I said I would take care of the night feedings and you had to take care of feeding her during the day.”

“It is summer so that gives you plenty of time to take care of her needs first then you can go and play but you would have to be around every four hours to feed her. This schedule is only going to be for a couple weeks. Kittens grow up fast, just like little girls do.”

“Love is sacrifice, Missy. It means putting the needs of others, in this case the needs of Sunny over the need you have to go play an extra thirty minutes.”

“I’m sorry, mommy,” Missy bent down and petted the kitten. “I’m sorry, Sunny, mommy’s sorry.”

The next feeding time, Missy was waiting for mother to give her the bottle, Missy didn’t miss anymore day time feedings. Before they knew, it had been two weeks, Sunny could drink from a small saucer.

Missy would laugh when Sunny would finish drinking because she would have a milk mustache over her little face and whiskers. She would laugh at how Sunny would lap the milk with her little tongue. “Look at her, mommy, her tongue is going a hundred miles an hour!” “Yes, it does seem that way,” Missy and mother sat on the floor and laughed at Sunny.

At six weeks Sunny was eating solid food, mother and Missy took Sunny to the vet for a check up and to be sure she was healthy. The vet commended Missy for the fine work she did on feeding little Sunny. “That’s what mommies do,” Missy said and took the kitten and proudly walked toward the door.

The rest of the summer Missy took care of Sunny. She enjoyed trying to dress her in doll clothes. If you have ever trued dressing a cat in doll clothes, you know what fun Missy had. 

Mother enjoyed watching Missy play with Sunny from the kitchen window. She couldn’t help but laugh out-loud, when Missy was able to put a doll tutu on Sunny. Mom said, “ I don’t think we can get ballet flats small enough for four little padded paws". 

“Oh, mommy!” laughed Missy. “Who ever saw a kitten with ballet shoes on,” as she carried her pink tutu clad kitten outside.

Sunny jumped from Missy’s arms and was out of the tutu in less than five-seconds and had scampered off.

“Mommy, come quick Sunny is in the tree.”

“I see that ,well we know she can climb trees.” ”Get her down mommy, please. I want her to be a ballerina.”

“Sweetheart, you know that she isn't one.” “Yeah, but we are playing pretend.” “It doesn’t look like Sunny wants to do that,”Mother said.”Why?” “Well, because she is a cat and she is doing cat things. Cats like to climb.”

“God made her special just like he made you and I and everyone special.”

“He did?”

“Yes”

“He made her with sharp claws on her paws, so if she ever need to get away from danger she cold scurry up a tree God also made Sunny and all cats with very good balance.”

“Remember in dance, you had to balance on one foot?”Missy nodded. “It wasn’t easy at first, but with practice you did it.”

Missy stood on one foot. “Look, mommy, I’m doing it!” “Yes, you are. Look how Sunny can balance on the limb. Give her a couple hours of play and I bet she will be meowing at the door for you to let her in so she can eat. It won’t surprise me that, when she comes in, she will show you some love and affection by purring around your legs.”

Two hours later that was exactly what happened, mother smiled and thought back to the beginning of summer when Missy found the little stay kitten. How Missy went from what she wanted to thinking about what the title kitten wanted. 

She was learning about love from a little stray kitten, named Sunny.