Effect Essay (#8)

     Only a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I adopted a new kitten from Forgotten Felines, a program that rescues cats and kittens and helps get them adopted. We named out brand new kitten Madeline; she is a five month old, Bengal-Tabby cat mix, and she's beautiful. We were convinced that she was perfect, and had the softest, smoothest fur I had ever felt before. Like all kittens, I expected her to be a little rambunctious, and get into some things that she wasn't supposed to get into. But what I didn't expect was that my beautiful, little kitten is actually a cat from Hell. From breaking and tearing things apart, to drawing blood and showing her true wild side, Madeline is definitely the craziest cat I ever have, and will ever own.

     When we brought Madeline home, we immediately discovered that she has a fascination with paper. If she gets a hold of anything paper, she will hold it between her paws and shred it to a million little pieces with her teeth. If there are any cardboard boxes laying around the house, she will find them and tear those to pieces as well. One her favorite toys, other than her play mice and jingle-balls that she has to play with, are my pretty purple curtains. She will be walking by the window going towards her food, when all of a sudden she'll turn around and pounce on the curtains, and try to climb to the top. I didn't realize how many breakable possessions I owned until I brought Madeline into my family!

     My least favorite part about Madeline's upbeat personality is her "playful" aggression. One night while I was asleep, she discovered that feet were another one of her favorite things to play with. I woke up to a very sharp pain in my foot, and realized a cat was clinging to it for dear life, teeth, claws, and all. I yelled and tried to kick her off as gently as I could, which ended with five large, deep scratches on the top of my foot. Five days later, those scratches are still there, and they still hurt. Maybe it's the Bengal cat in her, but I have never had a cat who was strong enough to hold on so tightly and draw blood like Madeline did. I have had many scratches and bites from her before that incident, and since then, too.

     Ever since we found out that Madeline has Bengal cat in her blood, we knew she was going to be really wild, but we have been truly surprise at some of the things that we have caught her doing. Not too long ago, I walked out of my bedroom to find her clinging, with all four paws, to the back of the couch, and just hanging there effortlessly. She can use her claws to crawl all over things, including curtains and chairs. she can run and move very fast, using her back paws a lot like the big, wild cats do.

     Our cat may be destructive, vicious, and wild, but have grown to really love our "Hell Cat." She definitely adds energy to our home, and she is well worth the consequences of adopting her! As long as she stops attacking my feet at night, I think I will decide to keep her for as long as possible.