And the Winner Is.........

Any of you who read my post yesterday knows that our dear little kitty, Nimbus, died at the age of 22.  She had lived through all of her nine lives and more, so I was not surprised when her health declined quickly.  As a tribute to Nimbus I had a contest on Facebook.  This is the third contest I have created and for  some reason the contests make me happy.  This one was to guess the name of my first pet.  The winners gets a simple prize mailed to them...and it is just a fun thing to do.   The answer to the contest can be found on my blog post...so today my story will reveal the name.

I have always had a pet of some sort.  I was fortunate that my parents (especially my father) allowed me to have the various animals (that would need a home) I would bring home.  The wild animals were to stay outside just in case they wanted to return to their natural homes.  You might want to read about one unique pet, Peppy, Peppy, Chicken or Cat?  But today is about my first pet.

We lived in the city until I was almost three, so this is an early memory.  Our neighborhood gang was playing in the backyard near the alley and spot a big, orange cat.

This is not Tom...I can't find a picture of him.  I Googled
orange cats to get pictures.

I remember being on the fringe of all this because I was so small.  I watched the big kids go after the cat, and the cat just stood there.  My sister...who was five, managed to pick up this cat and carry it home.  I think now that this cat must have been some laid back cat as she could barely hold it high enough to not drag.  She had a strong grip right under his arms, lifted him high, but he stretched almost to her height.

My father comes outside to join in the excitement when he sees the cat.  He rescues it from Linda's tired arms.  I could hear its purr as it relaxed.  "You brought home a Tom Cat," he said.

I was astounded!  I knew my Daddy was smart...but how did he know the cat's name!   So...that is how Tom got his name.  Tom moved out to the country with us and loved hanging out in the barn knowing he was welcome inside the house at his command.  He also had a visit to the vet to make sure he was healthy and would not contribute to the population of cats.  No matter...he still ruled his kingdom of cats in the barn.

Tom could have been Morris the Finicky Cat...
at least in looks...because he was not finicky.



So...who won the contest?  Shawnda!  (She guessed the name, Thomas.) Thanks to all of you who participated in the contest.  It brightened my day.  There were so many good guesses, I decided to randomly pick a name for a second place prize.  So...Becky (former first grade teacher...not my niece Becky)...you will receive a prize too!  If you did not win this time...no worry...there will me more contests to come.