Happy Birthday to Ursula (and Dotsie)

Ursula rushed to the computer where Tatum already sat.  “I have email?  Really have an email just for me?”  No one had ever sent Ursula an email before.  She knew that there was an account Tatum had set up for them so that they could communicated with Rudy, Peep and LT, but no one had ever sent her a message just for her.  What in the world could it be?

Letting go of the mouse, Ursula sat back in wonder.  “It’s my birthday?  I didn’t even know I had a birthday.  People have birthdays, not kitties.”  Tatum was asleep in the kitchen and Ursula rushed in there to tell him the news.  “Tatum, wake up, it’s my BIRTHDAY!” 

“Happy Birthday, kiddo.  Now let me sleep.”  Tatum put his head back down on his paws and at least appeared to fall asleep. 

Ursula rocketed around the house.  As she slid across the kitchen floor and hit the door she wondered what cats did to celebrate birthdays.  She also wondered if her people mommy would feed her tuna.  The mostly-grown girl had eaten tuna last night, and she had specifically said she wasn’t sharing any with Ursula, so she didn’t have much hope that that one would give her any today.  Perhaps the people mommy would, though. 

Ande (that’s the people mommy’s name) was sitting at the computer in the living room and talking on the phone.  She got up and Ursula tackled her ankles.  “Tuna, tuna for my birthday.  Give me tuna for my birthday,” Ursula sang as she dug her claws into Ande’s ankles. 

“What is with you today, Ursula?  I don’t appreciate having my ankles mauled by a small cat.”  She walked into the dining room and sat down at the other computer and started typing.  As she typed, she talked out loud to herself.  “Okay, what birthday cake picture can I send my sister?  I can’t very well give her a cake since she’s in Maine about to get on a schooner, but at least I can send her a picture of one.  Ooh – look!  A coffee-lover’s cake.  I’ll put that in the email.” 

After she’d sent the email, she looked at Ursula, who was sitting on the floor staring at her.  “It’s your birthday too, Ursula.  I first met you 51 weeks ago and you were such a tiny kitten.  Kay was taking care of you, and when you were just two weeks old we took you to Maryland with us to visit Mary Rose.  You went everywhere with us – on the train, out to dinner and even the movies.  You didn’t have a cat mommy, so Kay fed you and loved you.  I helped too, especially on that trip.  You’d sleep with me at night on the bed and when you woke up hungry in the middle of the night, I’d feed you from your little bottle.”

After she’d finished typing, Ande got up and found a good sized can of tuna in the lazy susan.  She opened it with Ursula right at her feet.  “Tuna, tuna for me on my birthday!  Tuna just for me!  None for Tatum.”  Then she noticed that there were two bowls.  Oh well, it was a big can, there was enough for both of them. 

Ande put the bowls on the floor and wished Ursula a happy birthday.  “You know, since you were found as an abandoned kitten at a day or two old, we didn’t know exactly when your birthday was, so I decided to give you my sister’s birthday to share.  That way I’d never forget your birthday.   Enjoy your tuna, kitties.” 

The two cats applied themselves to getting the tuna inside their tummies as quickly as possible.  When he was finished, Tatum carefully groomed his face and whiskers.  Ursula, on the other hand, licked both bowls until she had rasped off even the memory of tuna with her tongue.  Only then did she sit back and sigh contentedly.  She walked to the cat tower, jumped up on top and looking at her people mommy said, “Thank you, Mommy.  That was lovely.  I’m glad you remembered my birthday.  I love you.”  

Ursula 8/9/09