Birthday Kitten

Kitten fever doesn’t go away as easily as you would think. Plus the kicker-I have a thing for “odd” numbers. Three; three is a nice round number. AND-the karate kicker-my birthday was rapidly approaching!
What better gift to give yourself than a kitten!?! I “stumbled” upon a (somewhat) local rescue called Feline Friends. The previous week they had a mama kitty and litter dropped off that were found abandoned by a dumpster behind a post office. All of the kittens had been adopted but one, an all black male. They had given him the name of Sparkle Monkey which immediately caught my attention. With a name and story like that-I knew he was meant to be mine!
I left early on my birthday to get there right as they opened. When I walked through the door and asked to see him they brought him out from the enclosure he shared with his mother and I held on tight. He was not especially friendly, almost feral even. He had already been through a lot in his short life.
I didn’t think twice at that moment, I brought that scared little Sparkle Monkey home!
The next few days were trying and I did question my decision. He would run and hide whenever I entered his room. I could tell he was uncomfortable and frankly terrified when I tried to hold him. I had plenty of moments of “Oh goodness, what have you done?” I feared that if I were to ever give him the opportunity to go outdoors I would never see him again.
Thank goodness I am extremely hard headed and persistent. It took a lot of time and patience to get him to come around to me, but well worth it. Within a month he was the happy well adjusted lovey little man man that I had dreamed of.

Meet: Sir Didymus Sparkle Monkey

Alias:
Man Man
Lover Man
Didder Butt
Monkey Man

See how worried he looks in that picture, that was right as he arrived home, still in his box.

And starting to come around...

And now...

Oh he came around all right, he’s a regular ol momma’s boy now. He loves his lovins! Belly rubs and all. He loves to find me sitting in the yard and jump up on my lap for his session. Sometimes he gets so involved in the lovins he will inadvertently fall off my lap in his state of euphoria. He does not like to be interrupted by anyone when he is with his mommy, it’s the only time I have ever seen him take a swipe at someone other than play time.

Here he is waiting for me to sit down with him...

Okay Man Man...

Now notice the look in his eyes...you know what he sees? The wrist strap to my camera...

And the battle ensues...

His hobbies include begging for nom noms, belly rubs and he enjoys it when I sing “Man, man..man, man, man, man…” to the tune of the Star Wars intro to him.

He gives me dirty looks if I'm not prompt with the noms.