My Munkie

When I arrived home I partially expected Munkie to be all over me, but to my non-surprise she was hunkered under the couch (where she goes when there is a really loud noise or when I am trying to put her in her carrier to go somewhere). I laid on the floor and tried to get her out but she then ran into the office under the desk. I had to pull her from under the desk. I then held her real close and tight while I whispered to her and pet her. I took her out into the living/dining room where everyone was... bad idea. She really doesn't like loud, big groups of people. She put up with it, but I could tell she was pretty uncomfortable/scared. After getting a few kisses in I let her go.

Shortly after my brother and his girlfriend left, my mom and brother went upstairs, and my dad was sitting at the table quietly, so all that was left was me and my friend Kaitlyn. Once again I found Munkie hunkered under the couch. Once I got her to come out from under the couch she ran to under the side table next to the couch. I laid down on the floor, stuck my hand under the table right near her, and talked to her quietly in my Munkie voice. It was the cutest thing ever because I would say something and then she would quietly meow and chatter (if you've never heard a cat do this you should YouTube it because it's pretty funny/adorable) at me. This exchange took place a few times and then I reached in to pull her out and she let me. 

I sat on the floor of my living/dining room with my Munkie in my arms she went quiet and just curled into a ball with her head tucked under my arm. If I knew crying wouldn't have disturbed her then I totally would have right at that moment. Instead I stayed quiet as well just soaking up the moment that after having my Munkie by my side 24/7 for 2 years and then not having her at all for 10 months she was now back in my arms. 

After we finished cuddling and I finished kissing her on her little kitty head and telling her how much her Ninny loves her I gave her her present I brought back for her from Australia - A Kangaroo necklace. People thought I was crazy for buying my cat a necklace, or for even taking a souvenir home to my cat all for that matter, but I know what my Munkie likes and my Munkie likes jewelry. All throughout my last 2 years of Uni she was always stealing my roommate's jewelry and hiding it in my bathroom (usually in the toilet) and since I've been gone she has been stealing my mom's jewelry and hiding it underneath the bathmat in my bathroom. So her own necklace seemed like a good idea and boy was it ever. She LOVED it!!! She not only played with it right then, but up until the day I left she was still playing with it. We find it all over the house. She drags it around in her teeth. She picks it up in her paws to play with it too. It's really the cutest thing. 

From the time she came out from under the bench until the moment I left, it seemed as though to her, I had never left. She followed me around from room to room as she always used to. She snuggled in close at night (sometimes). She did towel time (after I get out of the shower and wrap in my towels she likes to sit on my lap because it's warm). We played in the morning first thing and right before bed. She sat patiently as she waited for me to open the blinds really early in the morning, way before I was ready to get up. She napped in  her nest (either made with a snuggie next to me or I put a blanket over my legs and make and O shape with my legs that she sleeps in). And she did many more of the typical Munkie things she has always done. It was so nice to see that she remembered me so very well after all that time apart and that she didn't have any hard feelings regarding my leaving. 

Helping me clean my room

The day I left, as mentioned in my "Leaving Home" blog, I once again had to take her in my arms (just as I did on July 16, 2012), cuddle real close, and tell her just how much I love her, that I'll be back because Ninnys always come back, that Jamma and Uncle Mawrty and the rest of the family and cat family will be there to love her and play with her, and that I'd Skype her. I made sure to remind her not to escape because outside is dangerous, to not steal Jamma's jewelry anymore because she has her own, and not to make Jamma carry her to dinner anymore. You know... all the things a human cat mom has to say to her baby before leaving her for 6 months. Of course I cried, like last time, while doing this, but then I just put her back in her basket (where I picked her up from) gave her one more kiss on her little kitty head, told her I loved her, and walked downstairs to get my bags and go out the door.

A lot of people don't understand the connection I have with Munkie, while others understand it very well. Munkie is more than an animal or a pet, she is like a member of my family, one of my best friends, my companion. I helped her into this world as her cat mom wasn't really into the whole giving birth and following instincts thing and a month or so later I chose her as my own as I prepared to move me, now us, into an apartment to finish my last 2 years of Uni. For those 2 years she was there when I came home after a rough day, she was there when I missed home and just needed a hug, she was there when I needed a laugh, she was there when I needed to be shown love, she was there when I was feeling lonely. I had friends that were there for me as well, but Munkie was there when my friends couldn't be. For that matter, she was there while I did laundry, "cooked" (come on, let's be honest, we all know I don't cook) dinner, cleaned the bathroom, did my homework. Munkie was always with me if I was home, to the point that I dare say she was a part of me. To have that piece of me for 2 years and then just choose to leave it behind for 10 months was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. Leaving my family, my friends, my Hope, that was hard too, but at least they understand what is going on and I can talk to them about it... I can't do that with Munkie. Think what you want, but I believe animals have more thoughts and feelings than most people say they do. I had a cat that would literally mope around the house and sit in my bedroom doorway when I went away to college. Luckily, it seems as though Munkie recovers well when I'm away for a long time (thanks to my family that is caring for her, playing with her, and loving her) so I have no doubt that when I return in December she will love me just the same as before I ever left because the two of us are simply inseparable. <3

Just a month or two old

The day I left July 2012

The day I came home May 2013

I LOVE MY MUNKIE!!!!