Kiddie

Kiddie and his sister Sadie have lived at RAPS for most of their near decade of life. They don’t go out of their way to spend time together, and so it was only quite recently that I found out they were related.

photo by Barbara

I often come across Kiddie in the Doublewide, particularly if Carol’s granddaughter Simone is around. Kiddie is very fond of Simone and comes running when he hears her voice. He’s a chatty boy when she’s there and seems to enjoy playful tugs on his tail from Simone almost as much as Josie adores being slapped on the rump by Doug.

I asked Simone what made her and Kiddie hit it off so. She remembers being at the sanctuary 5 or 6 years ago and noticing that nobody seemed to like Kiddie much. He didn’t like to be picked up or cuddled, but what he did like to do was run around to places staff had just finished cleaning and anoint the freshly cleaned surfaces with pee. This became frustrating enough for staff that they made a habit of simply ejecting him from the building.

photo by Barbara

Simone felt bad for the frequently unwelcome Kiddie and offered him her friendship. And he loves her for it. He even lets her pick him up and hold him.