Zippurr is my gray tabby cat. She is almost one year old. I got her for my birthday last year, although I share her with my family.

Last year my sister started taking horseback riding lessons. There were several cats that lived in the barn at the stable where she was riding. They belonged to my sister's trainer.

There were three little kittens, two black and one gray tabby, that needed a home. The owner of the barn had a Welsh Corgi dog who liked to eat little kittens, so the kittens had to be given away as soon as they were old enough to leave the momma cat. We liked all of the kittens, but the gray one seemed so sweet. I asked my mom if I could have it. She said we would have to check with Dad.

We live on a busy road. It is too dangerous for an outdoor kitty. We had learned that lesson the hard way :o( Mom said IF we got a kitten, we would have to have it indoors. We were not sure what Dad would think of a cat in the house. He had barely tolerated the outdoor cats we had before. We had never had an indoor cat before. And this one was born in a barn!

Mom talked it over with Dad. He agreed to give it a try. It WAS my birthday, after all! The little kitten on the background looks just like she did back when we first met her.

I was SO excited the next time we went to the barn. There was one condition. We needed a female cat -- Dad did not want a male. So, we had to find out IF it was a girl. YES! She was! I liked her so much better than those rambunctious 'twin' black (male) cats.

A friend had told us what to look for in picking a cat from the litter. This kitty had all the things she said to look for. She was not nervous and afraid of you. She trusted you when you held her. She seemed even-tempered. And I had named her "Zipper" the last time we were at the barn.

We brought her home. Mom took us to the petstore where we got a kitty kennel (for her trips to the vet), a litterbox, food and water bowls, a leash and halter collar. While we were gone, we left her under a cage made from the laundry basket!

Dad saw her and seemed to like her. He suggested we spell her name Z-I-P-P-U-R-R with a "purr" at the end. We all thought that was cute so we changed it. Dad was caught snuggling with the kitty from time to time. She took to him as if she was on a mission to make him like her! Kittens are so funny and cuddly, you know!

We love to watch Zippurr play with her toys. We did not buy toys for her. After I learned what cats like, I made several for her. She also loves to play with the feather duster (we call it "the pink bird") and bouncy balls.

You should see how high she can bounce if she is going after a rubberball! We say she 's "sky-ing," like the basketball players do! She seems to float through the air in slow motion. But she always lands on her feet.

She loves to play "Patty-cake." She is so tame that she will let you hold her while she lays on her back. Sometimes, she might scratch you when she tries to get away, but she will usually stay long enough to play "Patty-cake" for a few times. She is good at songs with hand (paw) motions! She also does "Deep and Wide" and "Itsy-Bitsy Spider."

She is getting older and more 'mature' so she does not play as much as she used too. We have birdfeeders right outside two windows in our house. She loves to stalk the birdies from inside the house. She crouches down, hides, and gets that look in her eyes as she whips her tail in anticipation! Sometimes a woodpecker flies in and she acts like she thinks he is Thanksgiving dinner! She even licks her chops at the birds.

The other totally funny thing that she does is try to catch the fish in our aquarium. She can't get in of course, but she sure is funny trying. Sometimes she even sits on the hood and looks down over the edge. she has to be really careful because the top slopes and she has nothing to grab onto to keep from falling. Mom discourages her from this. We also don't leave her unattended in the room where the fish are, so she doesn't have time to figure out if she can get the hood open! She usually decides the fish have bored her to a nap anyway!

Sometimes Zippurr is a pest when she won't listen or come when you call like our dogs do. You have to be careful what you leave out because she can jump about six feet high! She knows that she is not welcomed in the kitchen, but she has to be reminded. She also tries to eat some of Mom's plants. Mom had to put some up on hangers because they are poisonous to cats (and they don't know that!).

Cleaning her litterbox is not one of my favorite chores, but it has to be done! I try to keep it cleaned everyday so that she does not make a big mess. I have to change it as needed also. Then, there's sweeping the litter that she tracks out of the box that I have to sweep up. This is the yuckiest part of having an indoor cat. We all agree on that!

Cats are so fuzzy and sometimes affectionate. I like it when she decides to nap beside of me. She is so sweet and I love her so very much!