I am relatively new to the joys and pitfalls of living with felines. Of all the creatures I dragged home as a kid (dogs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, turtles, birds) and was allowed to keep, a cat was never one of them. My parents did not like or trust cats. They never explained the reason for their disdain; just that I was never to bring a cat home.
Tried it once. Walked into the house with the kitten a boyfriend thought I needed. Our dog went ballistic, causing the kitten to fly through the air and land on the drapes. That was all my mother needed to see. A cat was bad enough, but one that flew and dug its claws into her precious window treatments was doomed from the get-go. Kitty lasted less than twenty four hours. It lived out its life as a barn cat at the home of my soon to be ex-boyfriend.
I went fifty five years cat-less, then one day decided I must have a cat. I researched the breeds first, then settled on my very first kitty - a Ragdoll. I selected the breed as a newbie since they were described as great first-time cats.
My Eli arrived around the time my world fell apart. Strangely enough, a friend had told me about a year prior I would get a cat around the following Valentine's Day and it would come when I really needed it.
I have to be honest here. I fretted for a year over what might be in the cards. Was I going to get sick? Would I lose a loved one? Would my favorite show get canceled? So, when the process to get my first-ever kitten began, I went into the whole thing with very mixed feelings.
That the first kitten I chose (have since learned we silly humans do not "choose" a cat - they pick us) died, after receiving a vaccine, I was thrown for a loop. Then my next choice succumbed to the same fate. I was devastated. Maybe I really wasn't supposed to get a cat.
Then the breeder, who has come to be a friend, said this to me, "You know, I never said anything but there was a kitten in the litter who watched you every time you were here. I noticed him sitting quietly on a perch watching you the whole time. Maybe you should check him out." I was speechless.
Afraid to get my hopes up, I made one more trip to the breeder's. When I scooped up Eli, he settled into my arms and we chose each other. That was February 12, 2009!
One month later, March 10, 2009, my world fell apart. A family member had so thoroughly betrayed our family I wasn't sure I would make it. As I held that tiny kitten and sobbed bitter tears, my friend's words rang out loud and clear. This was the time I "would really need the comfort."
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| 2010 The years may pass, and other kitties have joined us, but Eli loves me to pieces... |
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| still...(2016) |
I have since acquired several more kitties. Some whose arrival coincided with a heartbreak - like the feral, Fancy, who came into my life around the time my father passed away in 2010. He has stunning good looks - black fur and green eyes. A lot like my black haired, green eyed father. No, silly, he isn't my dad in cat form but he is a constant reminder of the dapper guy who was my father.
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| Look closely at this picture and see if you can find the subtle (unintended) clue as to what this guy represents. I swear it was not intentional! |
I suppose the Universe knew I needed a break from heartache and the symbols of it. Enter the Abys. I cannot be sad with them around. Even my husband, the not-so-crazy-about-cats, dog lover, thinks the Abys are something else. He laughs at them constantly, even when they've created chaos like knocking his freshly made sandwich onto the floor. I hear him talking to them when he thinks I'm not paying attention. And they are the only cats, out of six, he will hold. There is nothing like an Aby for melting even the toughest heart.
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| This is Boo!'s favorite hiding place... |
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