I first met Kibbie in February, 2019, when I rescued him from a homeless situation. He was reputed to be about 12 years old, although that was never verified and he could have been older. So I actually only had him with me from about 3 1/2 years! Not nearly long enough!
Anyway, I brought him home as a very upset kitty crying his heart out because he had lost his original family. I had only recently lost a 16-year old kitty called Katie, whose loss came quickly after her brother Baxter, who had died the previous year from thyroid and kidney issues; so I was sad too, and Kibbie and I basically hugged each other for about two weeks until he told me that he had decided to move-in as a permanent resident.
Kibbie scouted out his favorite places in the house; the upstairs window overlooking my front walkway to the road; the bag of shredded paper in my office waiting to go outside to the recycling bin; a couple of chairs and a sofa in the living room; and of course, my bed. All the beautiful new cat beds I had bought for him were studiously ignored as were the three tall scratching posts, the back of the sofa being much more inviting!
Kibbie was always anxious to locate me and tell me about his day; he always came to the door to meet me when I came home from running errands or whatever was the mission on any given day. Basically he never stopped talking!!
Next on his agenda, was to make sure that he met every single person who came to my home; he was always very welcoming and would chatter to my guests about anything and everything as long as they were here. With this tool, he managed to convert more than a few of my declared “non-cat” friends into confirmed kitty people! Everybody loved him and I loved him most of all!
Kibbie with his guest register
He and I had a great relationship and always discussed the pressing issues of the day, and he would always listen intently as I told him my problems. All the way through Covid, he would sit on my lap and watch Morning Prayer from Canterbury Cathedral each and every morning with the Dean, and although he was a great talker, he always, always listened.
Memories shared by Sue,
Bradenton, FL
Kibbie’s Favorite Verses from the Rule:
“Listen carefully, my child, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” Prologue 1
“Once a guest has been announced, the superior and the community are to meet the guest with all the courtesy of love.” RB 53.3
Beloved Companion Kibbie – now in The Paradise Cloister