We had dogs in our house as I was growing up. When I met my husband, Lou, he had a cat. I was a dog person so had no idea what to do with a cat. They don’t play fetch or lick your face or pee on the floor with excitement when they see you. They are just there. She really was a nice cat but she was no dog! By the time we had the kids she was getting old and she was very good around them. The kids loved her, especially Loren. One day Lou saw that she was having a problem getting up stairs and we took her to the vets. We were all petting her and crying as the doctor gave her an injection and you could see her relax and seem to go to sleep.
It wasn’t long before Lou was taking the kids to Pet Smart looking at the cats for adoption. I was still not sold on remaining a cat family, this was my opportunity to convert us over to being a dog family. I tried but failed, and we came home with a black cat named Ace. We renamed him Bubba. They didn’t really know his background but someone must have hurt him because he would not walk near you and would wince when you came near him like he had been kicked by someone. He is much better now but you still need to coax him to cross in front of you. He was also very scrappy. He would come home bloody with claws embedded in his head, obviously from fighting with another cat. One day he came home and there was a chunk of his ear missing. This cat could take care of himself, that was for sure but he remained very aloof with us. We couldn’t imagine what this poor little guy had been through before we got him.
Unbeknownst to me, even though we had Bubba Lou and the kids were still visiting Pet Smart when I was at work. The kids called me one day and told me that Dad got a new kitten. What!? But we already had a cat? ‘Yes, but the kids have never had a kitten.’ Lou rationalized. Bubba was a cool cat who really didn’t interact with the kids. This new kitten was very playful and the kids loved to play with him.
So not only did I not convert us to a dog family but now I was a multiple cat owner. The new kitten was a ball of fur and he loved all the attention and the kids would play with him for hours. We named him Bubbette as in little Bubba but these 2 were nothing alike and they did not really like each other. They would hiss at each other when they crossed paths.
The cats have always slept outside at night and over the years we have found ‘presents’ left for us on the back porch or the front stoop. Although we tend to blame Bubba I suspect it is Bubbette more often than not who is doing this. Just this morning, I was downstairs doing the laundry, I looked up and Bubbette was walking by the window with a chipmunk hanging out of his mouth! I yelled up to Lou to get Bubbette as I was running up the stairs. Lou was already at the front door and Bubbette had dropped the poor thing and it ran off.
I guess after over 20 years of having cats I am resigned to our being a cat family. I do love our cats and their very different personalities and quirks! That does not mean though, that I have converted to a cat person, as far as I am concerned a cat is still not a dog!
Talk to you next month. Until then, May you be blessed with warmth in your home, love in your heart, peace in your soul and joy in your life.