Francis Xavier

Everyone, this is Francis.

Francis, this is everyone.

Francis is also known as Frankie, Frankie Monster, Frankenkitten and FX.

We weren't supposed to keep Francis. He was supposed to be Chief Rodent Control Officer at our business, since that's where Hubster found him.

Backstory.

So one day Hub was working outside his office/warehouse when he hears a little, "mew-mew-mew." Walks over to a ditch and spys a little, tiny - TINY - black and white fuzzball.

He speaks to the fuzzball. Fuzzball speaks back. Fuzzball climbs out of ditch and follows Hub up - what must have appeared to him to be - a giant set of concrete steps and into the warehouse.

Fuzzball hides in warehouse. Fuzzball is quick...no one can catch him. Hubster sets out food and water...fuzzball eludes capture for two days.

Enter the Cat Whisperer. By the end of day three, fuzzball lets me get close enough to him so that when he drops into a dead kitten sleep, I'm able to nab him and take him to the vet.

Picked him up the next day, a Friday, and brought him home. We decided it wasn't a good idea to leave him alone in the warehouse over the weekend, and that we needed to socialize him.

That was two weeks ago. He hasn't left yet. Hub decided last night that FX would be miserable all alone in the warehouse - even though a half dozen people are there all day long - without other cats to play with, and that he needs to stay right here. ("Here," at the moment, is sleeping on my shoulder).

I've resisted for years taking in another rescue. But Frankie has been great for the older cats. Lucy and Kitty have rediscovered their inner kitten and are acting 10 years younger, which is good for them. They run, they bounce, they climb...instead of napping all day.

So little Frankenkitten has been a fuzzy blessing. I've actually been worried lately because all our animals - cats and dogs - are around the same age: 9-11 years old. They're all showing signs of old age and I've been afraid that they're all going to go meet St. Francis at the same time.

Hopefully FX will outlive them and keep us company for the better part of the next two decades.

It's good to have a baby in the house. :o)