Obliging Pets

In the 25 year haze of welcoming our first child into our home, and waving as the last one left, there was a whole cavalcade of auxilliary critters, mostly all felines of the short haired, grey striped variety. We named each one of them, in its turn, "Kitty." They wound their way around our ankles inside the house, and politely meowed at the door when they wanted out. These were cats who knew how to dig a discreet little hole outside, no litter box needed. One by one, each "kitty" forrayed a little too far afield, where we suspect a hungry coyote invited them to dinner. Then, like clockwork, another grey striped kitten would follow our kids home...