Stripes

Stripes as a kitten was all over the face –prancing, dancing, in my face. We loved to watch him jump, hop, and dance all over the place. He loved to spot a sneaky fast mouse, and give it a hero’s chase. Stripes’ energy was well-known; running flat out was his pace. He gets more excited every time I come, my mother-in-law said. She tried to corral him, give him catnip treats, get him on the bed. Stripes would have none of that, he was holding a rabbit, dead. Of course the rabbit had already lost his chewed off head. Does he ever slow down? The neighbors asked as he went twirling by. Stripes was always in motion, a curly que whirly twirly tomcat of a guy. The neighborhood felines meowed at him and fluttered their feline eyes. He had litters from the west edge of the Valley way past Van Nuys.