If his Furever Mama’s Mom an Dad hadn’t said NOPE, NO DOG! when she wanted a Dog (her first choice, if you can buh-leeve it), my innerview-ee would probly still be inna place called Vurr-GIN-yuh.
For example, Kyo (KEE-o) Kodis is NOT a Dog. He’s a very hansome cat: a long-leggedy Orange Tabby with white paws (an other white places) anna orange pokka-dot on his nose. SO on trend.
A nice man anna grrrl greeted me an my assistant. Soon as we stepped in, Kyo came right up to my assistant, an, of course, my assistant scratched his ears.
But then, when he spotted ME, he pawsed, and the grrrl picked him up.
“Good morning,” I said in my Softest, Talking-with-Cats voice. “I’m Bonzo and this is my assistant. It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Kyo. I have many cat frens.”
“Um, well,” he said in a cautious voice, from the safety of the grrrl’s arms, “I am Kyo Kodis an I don’t wish to be rood, but I have not met any dogs till now. You are my First O-fish-ull Dog! You don’t look TOO scary. This is my Grampa, Josh, an my Mama, Norah.”
“I have a great respect for fellow pets of the feline purr-sway-shun,” I assured him. “And I’m eager to hear your tail.”
We got settled on the couch. I opened my notebook an my assistant produced treats from The Satchel, whereupon Kyo overcame any concerns he may have had, an began happily munching.
With the last treat dispatched, Kyo settled in his Mama’s lap an began his tail.
“I was just a scruffy youngish cat of unknown origin, livin’ inna animal shelter up in Vurr-GIN-yuh. Meanwhile, my FFM (Future Furever Mama) had requested a dog for her 13th birthday and been told ‘NO DOG.’ But her parents DID give the Thumms-Up for a cat. So my FFM went on the line to Pet Finder, an found a whole bunch of avail-ubble cats.
“She spuh-SIFF-ick-lee wanted an orange cat cuzza a TV cartoon series with an orange cat named Kyo. She looked at lots of cat pick-shurs includin’ ME. I was kinda a mess, back then: skinny an ruff lookin’. But I WAS orange, so she liked me anyway.
“So,” he continued, “on her birthday, her Mom an Dad put me inna festive box an presented me to her. We got along right away. My original name was Alan, which I felt was a liddle boring. It just wasn’t ME, ya know?”
I nodded.
“So I was happy when Mama re-named me. Kyo fits me, doncha think?”
“Absolutely, Kyo,” I assured him.
“I adjusted pretty well, too. That’s when I met Penny, a fellow cat who lived with Uncle Aiden in Vurr-GIN-yuh. We sorta got along, but we weren’t BFFs or anything.”
“So, how did you get all the way down here?” I queried.
“Well, first we drove to a place called TEX-us, which I didn’t care for that much. I was Very Good ridin’ in this big sorta box thing I later learned is a CAR. But THEN, we duh-sided to go to here, an I had the worst ex-speery-ence of my Entire Nine Lives.”
Kyo spoke with such sincerity I hesitated to even ask. But, since it was part of his story, I did. “Oh, Woof, Kyo. What happened?”
“Well, first, we drove to a strange big place with lotsa people carrying boxes on wheels, in lotsa sizes an colors. Then we walked down this liddle sorta hallway an at the end was this Big Loud Scary Monster. It had wings and no feet, just wheels. An Mama put me into a little bag sorta thing. It was ackshully sorta comf-tubble, but then we ackshully went inside the Big Loud Scary Monster. I thought we were Totally Toast. There were, like, a zillion humans sittin’ in rows of liddle seats, with buckles around their tummies. An Mama put me and my liddle bag under the seat by her feet. All nine of my lives flashed in front of my face an I started hollarin’. An I kept hollarin’ for a Very Long Time. It was AWFUL. I was still hollarin’ when I felt some bumps. Then the Big Loud Scary Monster finally stopped, an everybody got up an walked out. I’m preddy sure Mama’ll NEVER put me in one of those Big Loud Scary Monsters Ever Again.”
“An now you’re all safe an happy with your Furever Famly,” I segued.
“Yes, I Totally AM! Grampa Josh drove us here, an I have my own bed, an I snuggle with Mama an watch TV. An sit in the sunny window an observe the squirrels an lizards. But I DON’T like the leaf blower. It is TOO LOUD. I hafta hide under the bed so it won’t get me.
“Plus, since Mama goes to a school called COLL-udge durin’ the day, I do a lotta Nappin’. But I also get The Zoomies, to balance everything off, ya know?”
“Yes, I’ve heard about The Zoomies,” I replied.
“I also have Skin ISH-yous, so I get flea meds an speshul food, mostly fish kibbles. Mama says her an Grampa hafta keep the people food On Lock-Down. I guess I do kinda explore a lot, in the kitchen. Like, this one time I ate a stick of budder. I don’t really care for froot or veggies, but I did sneak a bag of beef jerky outta the PAN-tree. Once. Oh, an then, a while back, Mama caught me runnin’ outta the kitchen with a whole big loaf of BREAD in my mouth. It was about as big as ME. I almost got away with it, too.
“When Mama makes a turkey sandwich, she gives me a liddle bit. But mostly it’s jus kibbles.”
“Um, do you like groomin’?” I wondered.
“I like gettin’ patted. But NOT brushed. An Totally NOT baths. (Except that they DO keep the FLEES away.)”
Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about all the ways pets an humans find each other: like Kyo, who never wudda found his Furever Mama if she’d been allowed to get a dog. Amazin’, right?
Till next time,
Don’t Be Shy
We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up an interview, email
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