My name is Redmond.  In December, 1999, I met my human mom and went to live with her in Kirkland, WA.  This is my warm, fuzzy story.  It's also about PetLaps beginning.

It was a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, 1999, on a usual Seattle area wintry, cold, drizzly day.  I was all alone in the big car area behind an office building.  Sometimes my feral cat mom, sisters, brothers and I hid under that building.  My feral dad left before I was born, so I never knew him.  My feral mom had left me alone, again, but this time my sisters and brothers were missing, too.  She was always doing stuff like that, but usually she returned in a few hours with whatever food she could hunt that day.  This day was different.  I was cold, wet, and hungry, and I was scared, and certainly not used to being alone so long.  I started making that sound my brothers and sisters and I had made many times when we were alone, the sound that used to bring the rest of the family around.  Once again, this time was different.  Nobody came.  They were all gone.  I was really alone.

 

Little did I know there was a big human in the building right above where I sat who had heard my cry.  She went outside to have a look.  I spotted her and hid under the bushes as quickly as I could.  I think she saw me because she left and returned with another big human, and they were pointing to my hiding place.  I was no match for two of them, so they captured me and the first human took me inside and put me in a really big box.   That was the first time one of those big people had ever touched me.  It was strange, but they were gentle, so it was oddly comforting.

 

The human (they called her Linda) said that my cries were squeaky, whatever that was.  She and the other humans thought I might be a kitten of one of the feral cats in the area and guessed that my squeaks were special to my family. 

 

Linda held me and turned me belly side up, and the other humans gathered around.  They rubbed my tummy, looked under my tail, and then announced that I was a boy.  Next, they got some food and something for me to drink.  My stomach was a little upset after eating, probably because of the new food, and they said I needed some cleaning.  After that they put me back in the box so they could work.  Soft shirts lined the box, but I wanted out of that strange place.  I got out a couple times, but Linda always found me, and quickly, too. 

 

I heard Linda say she would take me home, with hopes that her cat would like me.  Home we went, but, oh, boy, did that cat ever not like me!  The next day she took me back to the office and everybody started talking about finding me a home.

 

Chris (of Christine Louise), another staff member, made some calls and found me a home that would be available in a day.  She took me home with her so she could give me to those new humans.  Oh, boy, another new and scary experience - a car.  I could tell we were moving, but I was clinging to Chris' lap and staying as close as I could get.  On the way we stopped at her mom's house.  Chris had told them I was extra cute and they wanted to see.  Everyone made all these "ooh" sounds and said I was the cutest kitten they'd seen.  I have to tell you, I think they were right.  I was a tiny ball of long black fluff with sky blue eyes, long white whiskers and eyebrows, white tipped feet in the front and white boots in the back, with white at my throat like an ascot (a word I later learned from Mom).  They called me a tuxedo cat - an elegant sounding description.  Anyway, back to the big humans.  They looked at me sitting in the palm of Chris' hand, agreed that I was just as Chris has told them.  They also said that I was small enough to fit into a cup, whatever that was.  All I knew was that I was beginning to like this attention and soft touching.

 

We got back into the car and I clung to Chris as we drove to her home.  After eating, I needed cleaning, just like the previous day, so I got my second bath.  Chris kept telling me what a good boy I was about being all wet, and she dried me quickly to keep me warm. 

 

After Chris fed me, cleaned me, and showed me my box of sand for digging, she looked at me with this funny look on her face and asked me what she should do with me.  Now, how could I answer that one?  Remember, I was only a baby.  All I knew was that I was just beginning to feel this nice new, warm feeling, and I wanted to be close to Chris.  If I had known how to let her know, I would have told her.

 

There was work to do, but Chris didn't want to leave me alone, thank goodness.  She folded an old baby blanket diagonally and tied the skinny ends around her neck.  Next, she put me inside the pouch that was created, right next to her heart, where I was protected and warm.  Up and down the stairs we  went for the following 3 hours.  Occasionally, I poked my head out to look at her, and then quickly tucked back where I felt protected and safe under cover.  I slept a lot, too.  I was warm and I was beginning to feel safe.  She talked to me in soothing, soft tones, and stroked my fur.  Warm and safe - just what I needed.

 

Oh, how happy I was to be there, and Chris seemed to like me.  After those hours in the pouch, she told me she had made a very important decision.  She said that we had bonded (another word I learned later) and I was staying there with her, permanently.  I had a new home!  I had a new mom!  Chris was now my mom! 

 

Mom made a bed for me, my first bed!  Then she told me how happy she was to have me there with her, and said "good night".  This was to be the first of many of our life routines. 

 

The next morning I heard her on the phone thanking the other prospective new family for being willing to give me a home, in spite of their allergies.  She told them about our bonding and that I was going to stay with her.  This was a match destined to be.  Mom sneezed a little, and has been fine ever since that first day.  She told me recently that I have characteristics of a Siberian cat, including that people visiting the house never have allergic reactions.  All this is great, but my only concern is that Mom always loves me.   

 

That following night I rode around in my pouch with Mom for 2 hours, and the third night it was 1 hour.  After that I wanted some independence, and we settled into life together.   

 

She named me Redmond because I came from Redmond, WA, (yes, the home of Microsoft) where Mom used to work.  She says I'm the best thing that came from those years in Redmond. 

 

Now we’re a team.  Mom has trained me, loved me, played with me and given me security.  I learned that even though life would have its disagreements and troubles, I would always be able to find my safety in her.  What a great feeling!

 

We moved from that first place, but still are in Kirkland.  Stuff like that is important to a cat.  Moving was scary.  First, there were all those boxes for a long time, and then on moving day I had to stay in the bathroom for the whole day.  Finally, all was done and Mom took me with her to the new place.  Moving to a new place is  so much work for a cat.  We have to smell everything and find all the hiding places.  The bigger the place, the longer it takes.  Anyway, I love it here now, with more sunlight, lots of places to hide, and carpeted stairs to run. 

 

I’m an indoor cat now, but I started out differently.  When I was a little guy, Mom kept me inside until she was sure I would be safe, until I was about 3 months old.  After I was injured twice in fights, Mom decided I would have to stay indoors for my health and safety.  Now you can understand why my house is important.

 

Mom's voice is so comforting to me, especially when she tells me how great I am and how much she loves me.  I just shut my eyes and relax.  She makes me feel like all is right in the world.  You'd think all that would make me relaxed about life.  However, the feral beginning is still with me.  I hide when someone comes to visit.  There's only one person (Savanah) other than Mom who has held me, and she's the only person I come out to see.  Oh, well.  I have Mom and that's all I need.

 

I've learned it's not how you start in life but how you finish that's important.  I was a feral kitten on my own in the big, scary world, but now I’m much loved and have a secure home.  Mom told me that lots of ferals have a terribly difficult life and die early.  Fortunately for me and for Mom, I found her, my human for life. 

 

I’m a smart cat, as well.  Mom says I'm very dog-like, another Siberian characteristic.  Though English is a second language to me, there have been many times I have understood Mom very well.  She knows to get my attention first, and then she tells me what to do, rather than what not to do.  I like that, and I think I learn better that way. 

 

I have to brag a little because I hear that most cats never pay attention to what their "parents" tell them.  I have awakened Mom only 3 times in the 8 years we’ve been together.  The first time, she put me down quietly and went back to sleep.  Before going to bed the next night, she looked me in the face, said my name, and then told me to let her sleep, to wait until I knew she was awake before jumping up to greet her.  I waited, just like she told me. 

 

The other 2 times, well, it must have been that Mom was just too irresistible.  A guy can be just so good for so long and then there's a break.  Anyway, she repeated her same instructions (which I already knew), and for the past 3 years I have resisted the urge to wake her.  True story.  Except for where I jump up by Mom's face in the morning, I stay off her bed - because she told me to stay off.  She tells me other things, too.  I'm still learning more English. 

 

There are just a few favorite places I have, like my bed in the window where I can watch people and growl at strangers.  Actually, it's only when Mom is around that I act all brave and growl at someone strange.  I like her to know that I'm guarding her.  I quickly learn who lives around here and who is new.  I have a tall scratching "hotel" where I can watch the world from up high.  Then there's under Mom's bed, and one special chair.  Simple things of life are so very important.

 

PetLaps basic design and inspiration was my business contribution.  Mom’s the creative, smart one who developed the idea.  We make a great team. 

 

Here’s how Mom got the idea.  When I was on Mom's lap, my claws stuck into her skin and my fur “decorated” her.  To make things better, she set out a small folded blanket.  When I wanted lap time, she unfolded the mass of blanket one fold and I curled up on that spot.  When I hopped off her lap, she folded the blanket closed and left it handy for the next time.  My fur stayed in the same place, away from her clothes, and she had padding to protect her skin from my claws.  I loved the softness.  I came to like it so much that if the blanket was missing from Mom’s lap, I would stop and wait until she spread it out.  There have been only a few rare times that I have been on Mom’s lap without that padding.  I'm one lucky cat to become accustomed to being treated so well from the very beginning. 

 

And, so, PetLaps was "born".  Of course, I now have my own PetLaps, as you would expect.  I like my PetLaps better than the blanket.  Sometimes I let Mom know I want lap time by pulling at the folded PetLaps where it is on the sofa.  I hear that my adopted cousin has done the same thing.  We cats know what we like, and we know how to let our humans in on the secrets. 

 

The reason there's no photo of me demonstrating PetLaps is that Mom is the only one I allow to take photos of me, and it's a bit awkward for her to take my picture while I'm sitting on her lap.   

 

That’s about it.  I guess being an inspiration for something so cool is kind of like paying back for all the loving things Mom has done for me.  I’m smart enough to know a good thing when I see it.  Thanks, Mom!