Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Happy Birthday Belle!


Well, today is the big day -- Belle's birthday! For those who don't know, Belle is our cat. She came into our lives in 1993, so today she is 16 years old. One evening my sister knocked on our door and said she had a surprise for me. She handed me this little ball of fluff and said, "Here." A cat in her neighborhood had kittens and Sharon thought one of them looked so much like my other cat, CJ, so she had to give her to me. Every time she calls me, I offer her back to Sharon, but she never takes me up on it. Belle's a good cat, but she has her moments. When Nichelle was little she loved the movie "Beauty and the Beast", so she named the cat Belle. She was always Nichelle's cat back then. However, Belle would have freakish moments with the girls, like suddenly lashing out at them for no reason. When we got another cat things got hairy and we were living in Cat Hell. We had to get our house back and sadly, Belle was on the list to go first. Fortunately for her, the other cats acted up worse, so they they left first. Belle won that battle. Surprisingly, she got nicer when they left, so it worked out.

Belle is now my cat, or so she thinks. If I lie down, it's less than a minute before she climbs on me to get comfortable. She's far from a lap cat -- it has to be her decision. We have another cat named Kitty and she hangs out between Nichelle and Nicole's room. Belle tolerates Kitty, and vice versa, but I wouldn't say there's much love between them. Anyway, today is Belle's 16th birthday. At our house, we have to make our own fun, so anything is a reason to celebrate! Rick called me last night as he was on his way home from his fly fishing class. He said, "Is there anything you need at the store?" Well, duh! Of course, I needed chocolate covered raisins, because, well, it was a holiday, you know. Then I reminded him we needed some frosting. He asks what we needed it for, so I say, "Belle's cupcakes." Well, duh! He wasn't happy, but he pulled it off. He even came home with a little present for her. I can't say what it is because she's sitting here next to me and I don't want to spoil the surprise. ;) We'll have her party tonight when Rick gets home from work. As I said, sometimes you just have to make your own fun! On the top is one of Belle's baby pictures. You can see how prominent that orange streak running up her nose was even when she was little. It's amazing to think she's 16 years old. She still looks like a kitten to me. She's a good kitty -- even if she's a mean, old, ornery one.

18 comments:

  1. She even looks a little ornery as a kitten. She still looks great at 16. She hides her age well.

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  2. Happy Birthday Belle!!

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  3. Aw, Happy Birthday to Belle! Hope she likes her present, whatever it is :)

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  4. Hope Belle's birthday is purrfect! :)

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  5. Happy Birthday, Belle!!!

    You know, I should use her as one of the Clowder of Cats! Would she make a good police kitty?

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  6. OMG Nikki -- would she ever!!! She'd be the one with the trigger paws holding the taser!!!

    Thanks everyone. She's enjoying her birthday by sleeping on my pillow. Figures. I just realized it was her 16th, which would mean SWEET 16! Bahahaha ...

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  7. It's a flashlight... I can't put violent weapons in a kids booK!! hahahaha...

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  8. LOL Nikki! I know it's a flashlight, but Belle doesn't have to know. She's evil. Your animals are so cute. I was THRILLED when I saw the changes to the Clowder of Cats, compared to the sample you had at first. With Rick being in law enforcement 20+ years, that was purrr-fect!

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  9. Wow, 16! I'm sure she'll live much longer, too. She's a beauty!

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  10. happy birthday to Belle ... from me and my cat, xander (who turns 3 this month)

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  11. What a beautiful baby you've got there.

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  12. she's gorgeous! and she still looks like an itty bitty kitty in the first picture from that angle.

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  13. Aw- happy birthday Belle - hope you had a wonderful day! :)

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  14. Sweet 16...an ornery teenager. I hope she enjoyed her presents.

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  15. Oh, Happy Birthday Belle!! She was an awfully sweet-looking kitten :-)

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  16. Thanks everyone! Belle had a nice birthday. She had Italian Chicken for dinner and got ticked off when we wanted her to play with her catnip toys. She was a good sport though and gave one of her little mice to Kitty, unknowingly, but that's beside the point.

    Belle -- another year older, another year grumpier! :)

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  17. Happy Belated Birthday, Belle. :)

    Gale

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