Throughout the years I've had a number of cats. My earliest recollection was of a cat named Mocha. I can't remember much about her except that she was a very fluffy cat and we must have had her a very long time because as she got older she had a urinary problem, which made her relieve herself all over the house. My Dad didn't like that very much and so the next thing I knew she was gone. She either died or was put to sleep.
We had a series of dogs after that, usually ones that my brothers or sisters brought home. There was Hershey, Snoopy and finally Jennifer. We might have had one other dog but I can't remember. Then my sister, Barbara, brought home a little black Siamese cat she had named Ling. Ling was technically her cat, but when she moved out we got the privilege of taking care of her. Ling quickly became my cat. She slept in my room and would always come when I called her. She was an indoor/outdoor cat, meaning that she was comfortable inside or out. We didn’t worry about her because she had her territory and kept all other cats away. When she was outside and wanted to come in, but the doors were locked, she got up on the roof and started clawing at the screen on my window. She would also come to one of the other windows and we had to let her in.
My favorite memories of her were when I lie down and watch TV and she would come up, lay on my stomach and just stretch out. She would dig her claws into my chest and then just go to sleep. Yes, it hurt a little, but we knew she loved us, or at least that’s what we wanted to believe. I have come to learn that the cats aren’t our pets, we are their people. We are there for them when it’s convenient for them.
When I got married and we bought our first house, we bought a cat and named him Tibs, short for Tiberius (named after James T. (Tiberius) Kirk of Star Trek fame). He was a gray striped tabby. We had him for a year or so before he ran out of the house one day as I came home from work. We never saw him again.
Then came Skittles. I picked her up one day when my daughter was about 7 or 8 years old. She was just a few weeks old and she was so small you could hold her in the palm of one hand. She was quiet and shy but very loveable. We’ve had her now for about 15 years and we now think she is just neurotic. She doesn’t like other people very much and will only come out of the basement when someone is upstairs lying on the bed. Her favorite place to sleep is upstairs on the bed, with one eye watching the door for our other cat, Goosie!
Goosie is real character. She was “rescued” from an apartment where the people had moved out and just left her and the other kittens. We will often remind her of this fact but I really don’t think she cares. She knows she’s got it good here and milks it for all it’s worth. I was totally against bringing her home but my wife and daughter insisted. So rather than getting my agreement they went out and brought her home and I would just have to deal with it. From the first day she has been a handful. As a kitten she would tease Skittles and chase her around. Skittles did not like her at all. But as the years have gone on they have learned to tolerate one another. Since Goosie is several years younger than Skittles she still has more energy and wants to play. She also likes to play and run around at night when we’re trying to sleep, so we put them both downstairs. They can’t wait to come up in the morning. I’d still like to have a dog but we’re waiting until we no longer have any cats. Tara may take Goosie when she gets a place of her own, but until then, she’s here to stay. We can’t imagine life without her right now. She’s just one of the family.
When you have more than one cat at a time you can get a reputation. My wife refers to herself as the Crazy Cat Lady of Fairport because no matter where she goes in the house there are two cats following her around. If she sits or lies down she has no less than one cat that curls up on her lap or sits next to her. If we open the fridge the cat is there begging for some milk. If we open the cabinet door they are begging for a cat treat. However, the thing I love is when we come home from work, Goosie usually greets us at the door just waiting for us. She really misses us. So I guess we’ll keep them both, for as long as they live. They brighten up our day and make us happy when we’re sad. So if you don’t have one already, get a cat. They are a lot easier to take care of than dogs.
