My Wordless Wednesday post was some photos of our cat Bellatrix.

Yes, she was named after the witch in Harry Potter.  I know she is a “bad” character in the books, but I really loved the name and it seemed a good fit for a feisty orange kitten.  Also, it didn’t hurt that my husband and I were reading the final book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) when she first joined the family.

We rescued/adopted Bella in 2007.  She was dropped off at the animal clinic where I was working as an associate veterinarian.  A gentleman had found her at his work.  He said he heard a mewling sound just as he was getting ready to move some heavy machinery.  And as an admitted cat lover, he turned off the machine to go search for the source of the sound.

His efforts were rewarded with the appearance of an itty bitty orange ball of fluff.  He realized she must have ridden in the trailer of a semi that had just arrived from Alabama.  (This was kinda funny as I had just moved from Alabama, back to my “home state” of Tennessee.)  The man asked that we euthanize the kitten if we couldn’t find her a good home; I told him we would try our best to find her a home.

Little did I know it would be my own.

Bella has been sleeping at the foot of our bed for almost two years now.  She has blossomed into a skittish, yet extremely gentle cat.  She LOVES my seven month old daughter, and I must say the feeling is mutual!  Mary James has grabbed a handful of Bella’s hair, and instead of hissing or clawing the cat actually leans into her and the purring increases a notch.  MJ has even grabbed the cat’s tail (ooops!) and I’ve watched Bella simply swish her tail out of the clutch of my baby’s hands.

Don’t get me wrong….I’m definitely not encouraging my baby to grab the cat.  However, Bella insists on sitting right next to us, so these interactions are bound to happen.

In conclusion, Bellatrix has grown into a lovely, gentle, baby-loving feline.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday stories at Tell Me Thursday.