None of this makes sense

 July 12, 1984 (at Maxine's)

Mom said a lady came by and asked if she could have Shadow, Puss, Tiny, Noisy, Speedy and Toby. I don't mind the kittens going, but I'll miss Shadow and Puss.
Butter is sick and Mom said they might have to put him to sleep. I don't think so though, when you just have ring-worm.

July 13, 1984 (at Maxine's)

Mom has ring-worm terribly and I couldn't go home today. I have to stay here until Wednesday.

July 14, 1984 (at Maxine's)

Last night when Marta was asleep I cried and cried and cried. I want to go HOME! I want my Butterball! I'm so homesick.

July 16, 1984 (at Maxine's)

I'm so homesick it's pathetic. I WANT TO GO HOME!

July 18, 1984 (at home)

Hi. Today I found out that I will never ever again see my Butterball because he had to be put to sleep. Mom said she called Maxine and told her to tell me but she didn't. I miss him so SO much. I'll never ever see him again. He's dead. I wish I could just hold him one more time. Shadow, Big Foot, Tiny and Noisy are dead too. Puss and her babies are living somewhere else. I'll probably never see them again either. Just Boots is left. I didn't get to take a picture of them. Just Boots. And I bet he's awfully lonely. I sure am. My kitten. BUTTER'S GONE! 

July 20, 1984 (at home)

I still miss my Butter but at least I still have Boots. 

August 3, 1984 (1:00am) (at home)

Boots has ring-worm. I think. I hope not. 'Cause if he does have ring-worm he'll have to go too. And if he does have to go, mom said that we can wait til spring and then we'll see if I can get another pet.

I miss all my cats so much. 

(10:40am) (at home)

Well, it looks like Boots is gonna have to go too. He's got it right above the right eye. Maybe before dad takes him away, we could take a picture of him. I wish we could have taken a picture of Shadow, Puss, Speedy and Toby. I wish I had someone to talk this over with.

(4:50pm) (at home)

Well, Boots had to go too. So now I don't even have one pet anymore. 

____

September 17, 2021

These are the journal entries of a fourteen year old me trying to make sense of things.

Dad and I had befriended a stray cat that we named Shadow.

Shadow had two babies, Puss and Boots.
Puss had two babies, Tiny and Toby.
Shadow had four more babies, Bigfoot, Speedy, Noisy and Butterball.

Nine cats.  Nine cats that were taking our attention away from the narcissistic egg donor. So she created a plan. She conspired with my other half sister, Maxine, to send me to stay at her house for a week during summer break. Only it turned into two weeks. During those two weeks, the egg donor CLAIMS that the cats came down with incurable ring worm and had to be put to sleep. She also CLAIMS that she got ring worm on her breast from the cats that the doctor gave her a cream for. So… curable. For her. But not for the cats. Right. Makes perfect sense.

Also, what was she doing to get ring worm on her BREAST, stuffing the cats down her bra?!

She just didn’t want Dad and I to have a pet that would take our attention away from her.