A cat's tail

Don't know where I was born. Don't care either. I woke up in a box with bars one morning. Hair shaved from my neck and belly and a strange pain there too. I could hear dogs barking and kittens meowing. Don't know how I knew who they were, but I did.

I couldn't see anything but a blank wall unless a large human took me out to play. He said I was a black cat, a beauty, someone to be protected and loved. Other people held me sometimes too, but only "mommy" took me "home."

Home is a very big box, but I think that's because humans are much bigger than cats.

We share a big bed. She sleeps in it at night. I sleep there during the day. Why anyone wants to sleep away the dark hours I will never understand. Mommy and I get along just fine, but there are other things I don't understand too.

Sometimes I do things like practice my hunting on the things that move under her blankets at night and then, out of nowhere, something spits in my face and gets me all wet!  The same thing happens when I try to honor her big chair by marking it with my claws. And she does things I don't get at all!

Mommy likes to hide behind a big curtain and play in the water, so today I decided to play too. I couldn't believe it! She PLAYS with the spitting thing! It was huge and completely soaked me. I had to use her foot as a springboard to get out. I don't think she liked the big hole I left in her foot.

I don't know why mommy calls me Annabel. That's a sissy name! I ignore her as much as I can, but I don't think she's getting it.

She like's to pet me, but I'm just too busy. I keep waking up in her lap. I think she pets me when I'm asleep. That's okay I guess. She says I'm like black velvet without any bones then, but the rest of the time I'm all claws and jaws.

I tried sleeping in her shoes, but I still don't understand half the things she does. Maybe if she'd pick a better name we could come to terms.