My father grew up on a farm, so food was not the issue with him. It was clothes and other things that his patents could not afford to buy for their large family (9 children).
Regarding Ember, I've mentioned this here before so you might have seen it. The woman I got Ember from was a coworker. I often talked at work about Ember's antics and quirky behavior. So when Ember was 2 years old, the woman asked if she could drop by my place after work to see Ember again now that she was all grown up. I saw no reason not to since Ember was no longer a helpless kitten in that woman's charge.
But Ember had her own opinion about it. She went to the door to greet the visitor, as she always does. But the minute that the woman said Ember's name and bent down to pet her, Ember leaped onto a counter and growled fiercely. She arched her back and put up a paw, claws extended, as if ready to fight. She had recognized the sound of the woman's voice and her scent. She would not let my coworker closer than 6 feet of her.
The totally clueless woman said, "Gee, you must not have many visitors. Ember is not used to meeting people, is she?" I had to work with that woman every day so I did not say what I was thinking. I just said that Ember doesn't always take to new people and had not seen her for two years. I suggested that she not stay long because it was obviously upsetting to Ember.
Ember loves to greet visitors at the door and follow them inside. She rubs their legs and really sucks up to them to get petted on the head. So it was that specific person that she reacted to.
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