Frank [redux]

Zoë says: When we just got back from our holiday abroad back in July, my parents finally agreed to let us get a kitten. They were keen on getting a black male kitten, just like our old cat was, but he died back in April at 20 years old. I really wanted a kitten with different markings than just black. We looked on the Internet for a litter of kittens in our area, and eureka, we found a litter of three just round the corner from where I go to school. We went and saw the kittens two days later, and of course, I fell in love with the little wild-looking one, with the pink nose and half-opened eyes, sitting in the corner of their cardboard-box bed… and my parents wanted the tiny black female, but they knew I didn’t want a black kitten because I felt it would be like replacing Sproggy, our old cat. So we chose Frank and I couldn’t wait to get him home four weeks later.

We sat at the table that night, eating dinner while trying to decide on names, but no one could agree. One name came to my head that I really really liked was Frank. Why Frank? Because it was my late grandads name, and also because my friend has a kitten called Stein, and I liked how it sounded when you said “Frank and Stein." After that, we visited Frank every week and we were surprised at how he was changing. I adored how his fur was out of proportion with his body, and how he had just the right confidence (not too confident, like the tabby in the litter, and not too shy like the little black kitten that my parents wanted.)

When we got him home, he completely changed. He was very nervous -- he hid in a decorative jug and wouldn’t come near us. We left him to it overnight and woke up to see that he had wet the bed. He jumped at any sudden sound or movement, but I loved him more for that, because that would mean that he would be nervous around strangers, which would also mean that he would be less likely catnapped!

:)

Now that he is used to us and the house, he follows me around. If I sit down, he sits down on me. When I go to sleep at night, he sleeps next to me on my bed. He is so cuddly, and two of my favourite things about him are his warm belly and smiley face! He started to lose his pink nose and pads, but now they are just half black and half pink, and his nose is all black with a random pink stripe on it. He has also developed a little black dot on one of his back legs, and he has started getting beige-colour markings on his fur. He is quite greedy when it comes to food, but that’s just boys for you. I love how when he finds things, like a stick in the garden, brings it in and guards it when he sleeps. I’m so glad I chose Frank because he is such a loving kitten. I definitely wouldn’t change him for the world.

:)