I was sharing with someone about the novel I attempted to write in 2006 (its mostly done)....and how Miss Bea and Tiny (who have both crossed the bridge) were the "comedy relief" along with a puppy.
That made me want to reread some of those scenes...which made me want to share them with y'all.
For those who've read them before - feel free to just skip the rest of this post.
[line]In this passage, Kate (main female) is going to the pet shelter to adopt a CAT. Her grandmother's 18 year old cat,Punky, died two months earlier. Kate lives alone and realizes she'd like some company.
Peg
Kate walked into the shelter and was overcome by the smell. Yes, this was definitely a place where animals lived. Still yet, she would be able to get a cat or maybe a kitten and give it a good home. Perhaps she'd find an older cat no one else wanted. Then again, a kitten would be fun too. Either way, she wasn't going home without a cat and she had Punky's cat carrier with her.
A young woman approached her with a smile. "Hi, I'm Abby. It looks like you came prepared to adopt someone. Can I help you?"
Kate smiled, "Yes, thanks. I want to adopt a cat. My cat died two months ago and I'm very lonely."
Abby beckoned to a door and said, "Right this way. We keep the cats and other small animals on this side of the building so they aren't bothered by dogs."
The women chatted as they walked through the door. Kate explained how Punky had passed away in his sleep and Abby expressed her sympathies. They talked about Punky's personality and relationship with Kate as Abby tried to get a sense of what Kate was looking for in a pet.
Kate was shocked when they walked into the pet room. They were surrounded by cages on three sides.The animals were stacked three and four high. Some of them ducked to the back of the cage when they heard people enter, while others raced to the door for pets and possibly a treat.
There were cats of all colors and sizes. Black cats, calico cats, brown cats and more. There were Maine Coon Cats, tabby cats and even a litter of Manx. How was she going to decide? She almost wanted them all.
As she wandered around the room, a tall black pile of fur in the largest cage stood and stretched. She looked at those ears as they stood tall. This was no cat. It looked like a rabbit but it was the size of a monster. She backed away from the cage.
Watching her reaction, Abby laughed and said, "Don't mind him. That's Tiny."
"Tiny? He must weigh 25 pounds!"
"Actually, he weighed 17 pounds when he came in here three weeks ago but he's down to a little over 14 pounds. His owner passed away and he's still grieving for her.He will eat and drink some but he's very unhappy."
Hearing his name, Tiny stood and pressed himself against the door with all of his weight. Kate backed away a couple more steps. Still yet, she found him fascinating.
Abby had a keen awareness about people and she sensed that Kate might be the right owner for Tiny. Tiny had not acted this lively since he came in and he really seemed to be fascinated by Kate's voice. Perhaps she reminded him of his former owner. Abby had to find a way for the two to interact.
"Would you like to meet Tiny?He's a flemish giant and he's very gentle. In fact, this breed of rabbit is bred specifically for their gentleness."
"Will he bite me?"
"He's really very gentle.He's actually pretty affectionate and tame for a rabbit too. Why don't you let me bring him out of the cage. He's too big for the playpen, so I'll just shut the door and let him run around the room so you can see him."
Kate hesitantly agreed. She had always wanted a rabbit but a little rabbit, not some monster rabbit. Still yet, his eyes seemed to plead with her to at least give him a chance to get to meet her.
Abby opened the cage and Tiny sniffed the door and then bounded out onto the floor. He hopped around the room for a moment or two and sniffed their feet and then rubbed his chin on his cage. Abby explained that he was marking his cage with his scent so others would know it was his.
"Come, sit on the floor with Tiny. I have a few yogurt chips you can give him when he comes to you."
At the word "yogurt', Tiny came running over to Abby and started pawing at her clothes. She laughed and said, "Busted. I sneak in here to give Tiny a chance to get some exercise and get some treats. I've been worried about him."
Kate and Abby sat on the floor together. Tiny crawled on Abby's lap and started hunting for his treats. She gave him one and then handed the rest to Kate. Before Kate knew it, Tiny was in HER lap and nudging her with his nose. When she didn't immediately offer a treat, he went looking for them in her hand and tried to paw at it.
"I'm scared. He'll bite me."
Abby replied, "Just open your hand and let him pick it out of your hand. He won't hurt you."
Kate held out her hand with the yogurt chip in the middle of it. Tiny sniffed it and then grabbed the treat and hopped away. He almost seemed as scared of her as she was of him.
Abby and Kate watched as Tiny ran around the room a bit more and then suddenly made a mad dash for his cage. Kate asked, "What is he doing? I thought he wanted the exercise."
After watching Tiny for a moment, Abby replied, "He ran for his litter box. He realized he had to go to the bathroom and that is where he knows to go."
"You mean he's litter box trained? Like a cat?"
"Yes. If I didn't already have five rabbits, I'd take him myself. I've never seen a rabbit so tame and well-trained come into the shelter. But I'm worried that if he doesn't stop grieving, we'll lose him."
"Well, I don't think I can take him. He's just too big and I really did come for a cat."
Abby sighed softly and said, "Ok" as she shut Tiny's door. Together the two women turned to the cats when a loud sound filled the room. Turning to his cage, Abby said,"Tiny, stop it." She explained to Kate that Tiny was thumping his back feet to get their attention. He continued thumping while Kate looked at a kitten. She put the kitten back in the cage and was looking at a tabby when a rattling noise filled the room. Both women turned to see Tiny rattling his cage doors with his teeth. "He's never done that before. He's having a temper tantrum."
Abby walked over to Tiny and talked to him quietly, "We'll find you a home buddy. I promise. But you have to behave."
"I'll take him." Kate spoke up.
Abby paused a moment and smiled at the big rabbit. She knew Kate was the right person for Tiny but she wanted to make sure that Kate knew she was the right person. She needed to press her just a little bit and make Kate realize that she wanted Tiny and wasn't just taking him out of pity.
"Kate, I don't think you understand. You can't just take Tiny because you feel sorry for him or because he's having a temper tantrum. He's going to be a big responsibility for you. Not only will he need to be fed and have his litter box changed, he's going to need time outside in the sun sometimes. At least I find that my rabbits thrive with outside time.But what he really needs is love. He's lost a beloved mistress and was found next to her body from when she collapsed. Can you give him love and wait for him to grieve before he can love you back?"
Kate walked over to Tiny's cage and stared at him. He'd laid back down and was in the back corner of his cage now. He stared back at her and twitched his ears. He was scary looking. He was huge. She knew nothing about rabbits. But reflected in his eyes was the loneliness she felt in her heart. She whispered his name softly and he came over to the door and tried to nudge her hand through the bars. She whispered his name again and realized that they needed each other.
"Can I give him love? I don't know. He's huge and he scares me. I know nothing about rabbits even though I always wanted one as a kid. But I know that he needs me and I need him. We've both lost people we love and we can help each other through the pain. I want him. I know I'll grow to love him once I learn to trust him."
Abby smiled because she knew that Kate had made the commitment in her heart to Tiny and she would not abandon him. She loved it when she was able to match up an animal with the right person. It gave her a feeling of peace.
"I have one problem though, "Kate said. "Will he fit in my cat carrier?"
"We'll make him fit." Abby said.
[line]
This is Kate's first morning w/ Tiny...
Kate woke up at daybreak on Sunday morning. She didn't want to wake up that early but it is hard to stay asleep when a 14 pound bunny lands on your belly as he leaps on the bed. The leap was only the start of his fun though as he ran laps around the room at a pace that made her dizzy. How could something that large move so fast? By the third leap on the bed, she'd learned to move out of his way. She had observed that with every other lap of the roomhe took a shortcut across the bed for the other side.
What Kate didn't understand was what Tiny was doing in her room. She'd made him a bed last night out of a cardboard box and an old towel of her grandmother's. He was supposed to be sleeping in the kitchen.
She tried to make sense of his presence in her room but she couldn't help falling back to sleep once he stopped running around. She wasn't worried about him getting into trouble because he jumped up on the bed and settled down by her feet for a nap. She could live with a pet like this.
When the alarm woke Kate three hours later, Tiny was still by her feet. He appeared to be asleep but as she snuck out of bed, she noticed him sit up and yawn. Man, he was a big rabbit. She still was scared of him but so far he had been very gentle and kept out of trouble.
Kate walked out to the kitchen with a bit of trepidation. Had Tiny destroyed the carpet? Had he used his litter box? What had he done all night?
She learned the answer as she entered the kitchen. Tiny had used the litter box alright. Almost everything was in it although you could see where he must have had his rear end over the corner once when he used it. She made a mental note to buy him a larger litter box when she went to the store next time. The rest of the kitchen seemed fine, except for his box and towel. The stinker had knocked over his box, chewed on the towel enough to put multiple holes in it and then chewed on the box too. It looked like she better add some sort of chew toy to her shopping list.
Kate made herself some tea and grabbed a banana while she thought about what to have for breakfast. As she peeled the banana, she heard the thwump thwump of Tiny running from the living room into the kitchen. She got out of his way in case he needed to use the litter box again. Her eyes opened wide as he headed straight for her instead of the litter box. He was supposed to be gentle but she could see the headlines flash before her eyes, "Mystery shopper killed by giant angry rabbit". Then Tiny braked to a halt directly in front of her and stood up on his hind legs. He pulled on her right shirt sleeve and tried to lower her arm. She moved the banana to her left hand and he let go of her right shirt sleeve and grabbed the left one. He became frantic to pull her arm down and as she lowered her arm, he knocked the top half of the banana onto the floor and started eating it.
"Thief!" she yelled, without even thinking. At her loud voice, Tiny grabbed the banana and retreated around the corner into the living room. She didn't mean to scare him but he'd startled her and then stolen her breakfast. It looked like she better add bananas to her shopping list also.
She snuck into the living room and stretched out her hand to Tiny. It held the last of the banana and was a peace offering. He looked at her and twitched his nose and then grabbed the banana and headed for her bedroom. Perhaps they would learn to trust each other soon. Until then, she got another banana and started writing out her shopping list.
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At this point in the story - Kate has agreed to foster Miss Bea although she's been a hissing bundle of fur who is very much unsocialized. Miss Bea's cage was moved into Kate's bedroom (I almost called it Tiny's bedroom) beside Tiny's cage and the idea is to let them see each other without fighting.
Kate is now volunteering at the shelter and Abby has asked her how it is going w/ the two rabbits together. Abby is the one who talked her into fostering Miss Bea.
You have to understand that Kate is still afraid of Miss Bea since Miss Bea is so unsocialized...
~~~~
Abby interrupted her thoughts, "So how is my big boy doing? Is he getting used to the idea of sharing you with another rabbit?"
Kate laughed. "You mean am I getting used to sharing him with another rabbit?"
Abby's eyes opened wide. "You mean the two have bonded already? Do tell. What has been happening?"
The two women cleaned cages and fed the animals while Kate replayed the events of the last few days.
It all started the same night Kate got Miss Bea. After Abby left, Kate got the rabbits fed and settled for the night. As usual, she left Tiny' kennel door open but kept him locked in her room. She figured that since Miss Bea was shut in her cage, the two would get along just fine and there would be no fights over territory.
A couple of hours after she went to bed, Kate heard thumping. Tiny started jumping on the bed and running around the room. She woke up enough to tell him to settle down or she'd put him in his kennel and lock his door. Then she felt him jump on her, only it wasn't Tiny,it couldn't be Tiny. It wasn't heavy enough. She felt the weight on her again, sitting on her chest. She opened one eye and saw two beady eyes staring at her face. She closed her eye and then opened both eyes. The eyes came closer to her face and she wanted to scream. Then, the eyes backed away as Miss Bea sat on her haunches and started cleaning her face, staring at Kate the whole time.
Miss Bea was out of her cage.Miss Bea was sitting on her chest. Tiny was thumping and having a fit.What was happening? Was this all a bad dream? She wasn't sure if she wanted to wake up or not.
As suddenly as she was on Kate's chest, Miss Bea hopped back off and got on the floor. The thumping got louder and even Kate could tell that Tiny was angry. She tried to hush Tiny while she stared at Miss Bea. What was this devil rabbit doing out of her cage? Why was Tiny thumping?
Then she saw him. Tiny was in Miss Bea's cage. He was locked in Miss Bea's cage while the little devil ran around the room and then entered his cage and chinned his food bowl, water bottle and litter box. As Tiny watched her, he rattled the cage door with his teeth and continued thumping.
Miss Bea was claiming HIS turf? Kate didn't think so. She got up out of bed and went to catch Miss Bea. The chase was on.
Miss Bea ran under the bed. After several attempts to get her out, Kate went to her kitchen and got a broom to shoo her out. Miss Bea ran out from under the bed and out the bedroom door that Kate had accidentally left open. Score one for the rabbit. Kate ran after her. Tiny continued thumping.
Miss Bea ran to the kitchen,then the dining room. Kate chased her under the desk where the rabbit promptly nipped her. Another point for the rabbit. As Kate yelled at the rabbit, she took off for the bathroom. As Kate ran into the bathroom, she tripped over the rabbit dashing out the door. The rabbit scored again..
Kate was determined to catch her now. She ran into the bedroom. No Miss Bea. She went back down the hall, and with a honeyed voice called, "Miss Bea, oh come here little darling." Her mind added the words, "So I can strangle you."
Kate trapped Miss Bea under the couch but she didn't have her broom with her. She went and fetched the broom, only to find the rabbit had disappeared again. Score another one for the rabbit. Miss Bea 4, Kate O.
Kate searched the house for the rabbit. Her racing heartbeat matched Tiny's continual thumping. She finally found Miss Bea trying to hide behind the refrigerator. "I'vegot you now" she exclaimed as she grabbed for Miss Bea's rump. Miss Bea twisted out of her hand and took off, thumping at her. She was left with a few strands of fur in her hand. Great, now she had two rabbits thumping. Score another point for the rabbit? Would the rabbit give up at 5 points? 7 points?
Kate was not giving up. No rabbit could outsmart her. Ok,maybe this rabbit could. But not for long. Kate had a college degree for crying out loud. Certainly she could catch a rabbit.
She decided to try enticing Miss Bea to come to her for a treat. She went to the frig and got two carrots. One was for Miss Bea and one would be for Tiny. She knew Tiny might calm down once he had something to eat.
Tiny. He'd stopped thumping.Was he all right? Had the devil bunny hurt him? She raced down the hallway to the bedroom, hoping to find Tiny ok. She stopped in the doorway and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Tiny was back in his cage.Miss Bea was back in her cage and her door was shut. When Kate walked near her cage, Miss Bea thumped. Tiny replied with a thump of his own.Kate debated between strangling the rabbit and giving her the carrot she carried. She decided giving Miss Bea the carrot was the best choice. She dropped a carrot in Tiny's cage and one in Miss Bea's cage and then went to the bed to sit down. Tiny grabbed his carrot and ate it immediately. Miss Bea sniffed at the carrot and turned her back to Kate and started grooming herself. Score another point for the devil herself.
