I was born in Greenwich Village (it figures!) and raised in the Bronx. When I was about 4 yrs old, I would ask my Daddy to take me on a walk - Mom was so happy to see us go out together ("yay! they're both outta my hair!" she probably said). What she didn't know was that on my request, Dad was taking me out so I could "pet the doggies". I loved doing that. Unfortunately Mom found out and Dad and I were both in the doghouse after that.

At about the same age (3 or 4), I was extremely saddened to see Mom go over to a cabinet (or the top of Nonna Lucia's ancient fridge??) pick up a bowl in which two beautiful but very dead goldfish were floating - one gold and one black. "Haha she said" (and I'm getting tears just remembering this) "I guess I forgot to feed them" -- and she dumped them in the trash. I hope those goldfish (Goldie and Blacky) are now swimming in G-d's favorite goldfish bowl!!!!!! It's AMAZING how even tiny little kids can understand such an injustice and carry the memory with them forever.

From the time I was 5 to 7 years of age, Nonna would bring over a kitten from the Arthur Avenue Deli -- it was always a black and white kitty and we kept "MewMew" for a few weeks until my (really bad, back then) allergies got the best of me. Then back it would go, and when Nonna would take me to Arthur avenue, I'd see it and its siblings and their Moma (the same mama cat, both times) playing on the sawdust floor, and I'd get sawdust shavings on my knees, playing with the kitties.

Nonna would bring baby chickies from the Arthur Avenue Chicken market, and we'd play with them until they got their tail feathers. Then back they would go to the Chicken market.

My first "Full Time" cat was Pee Wee. I found her in a vacant lot on May 31, 1960. Her eyes had barely opened. She was SO tiny she could fit in the palm of my hand, but she was such a SPITFIRE! even at that tiny and tender age -- how I LOVED her!! She died WAY too young -- "Thanks" to Mom..... Grrr.....PeeWee's story is on my website.

http://www.bronxace.homestead.com

You can also read about my other kitties, and me on that site.