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We are definitely a cat family. At one point we had four cats living with us. It proved to be way too much work and it has been much easier being a two cat family. Hubby and I have both volunteered at animal shelters and we've always said we will only add adult cats to our family. Kittens don't have trouble finding homes. Adult cats are often overlooked, even though the right cat can be the perfect addition to a household. Last week, though, our no-kitten policy flew out the window.
Hubby's parents own a storage unit business. About a week ago Hubby helped his dad with maintenance work on some of the units. It involved a loud crane and cement blocks, but I won't bore you with the details. Four days later a customer asked my in-laws if they were missing a cat. No, their two cats were accounted for. The customer said he kept hearing a cat while he was in his unit and it sounded like the cat was under the neighboring unit. After hours of digging and moving cement blocks, Hubby and his parents finally found the source of the noise... two kittens had been trapped under the unit. They were dirty, scared, dehydrated and hurt. Both kittens had sores on their heads from trying to dig out, plus they dug their nails to the quick.
The day after their rescue they received a clean bill of health from the vet. One is a boy, the other a girl. The boy is a feisty little thing and is quickly learning how to play. His sister is a little timid, but is slowly coming around. And, long story short, this is Murray:
Yes, Murray is a kitten and yes, Murray will soon be joining our household. My daughters are very excited about the prospect of having a new furry friend. We are excited about the playfulness he's about to bring to our house. He goes against our "no kitten policy," but we couldn't bring ourselves to not bring him home. I feel better knowing his rescue story and knowing we didn't overlook an adult cat to add him to our house. Murray is definitely ready to come home with us, but his sister is still healing and not ready to be separated. In another week or so, though, Murray will become a permanent part of our family! I hope our two other cats are ready!
A year ago tomorrow marks a sad day for us. We had to put down our beloved cat Elwood. I still think about him a lot. He was my first pet. From the minute he, Hubby and Hootie moved in with me, Elwood claimed me as "his."
Putting him down was not something we did lightly. He had been battling health problems for months, but seemed to be getting better. Then, almost overnight, he took a turn for the worse. Saying good-bye to him was the humane thing to do.
The girls still talk about Elwood and I think that's a good thing. They constantly say "I miss Elwood" or they ask what happened to him. They can tell you that Elwood was very sick, went to the doctor and is never coming home. Sometimes, though, I think they need to hear it from me or Hubby... to be reassured that they have the facts straight.
Elwood's memory has stayed alive. The girls know it's OK to say they miss him or to ask us to tell stories about him. He supplied us with an endless amount of giggle-inducing stories, so it's fun to recall those times... such as the time I was convinced he had a terrible injury on his paw due to the dried blood on it. Then I realized he had jumped on the counter overnight, chewed through the plastic on our morning chocolate pastry and eaten some of said pastry. The dried blood? Chocolate. Elwood's death has somewhat helped the girls put the death of family members into perspective. They've started asking questions about why Grandpa is my daddy but Grandma isn't my mommy. I've shown them pictures of my mom and explained to them that she became very sick and died. Their response? "Oh, like Elwood.... do you think she and Elwood are playing together in Heaven?" She wasn't a cat person, but it's easier to say yes then to try to have that discussion. They have a similar response when they see pictures of their great-grandma. She died just before the girls' second birthday. They see themselves in pictures with her and slowly comprehending why they don't get to visit with her any more.
I definitely miss Elwood... but I'm glad we continue to talk about him. I'm grateful that he has helped my girls understand that losing a family member, friend or pet isn't easy, but that it's OK to grieve and it's also OK to laugh. We miss you, Elwood!
I'm pretty sure that among stray cats there are whispers and secret maps leading them directly to our house. They show up on our porch, throw a few cute looks, beg for food and will us to take them in. Basically, they think (know) we are suckers.
It all started the month before Hubby and I got married. I came home from work late one night. Hubby had a strange look on his face, a look I would later realize was him suppressing laughter. I headed upstairs to change and was greeted by a surprising sight: a small kitten with ears too big for his head. My response? "Who are you?!" Earlier in the day we had experienced a typical midwest heatwave. Hubby had the front windows open to our townhouse. Our cats Hootie and Elwood were relaxing in the windows, trying to find a breeze. Hubby noticed Elwood was irritated by something. Hubby went outside and found a kitten under the window trying to play with Elwood through the screen. Hubby hung out with the kitten for awhile. When the kitten wouldn't leave and started panting in the heat, Hubby gave him water and food. He still wouldn't leave. Hubby made the decision to take the kitten inside to the air conditioning because it was HOT, HOT, HOT outside. For the next few days he played outside with the kitten, hoping a neighbor would claim him. Sebastian has been with us ever since.
A few months later, a black kitten showed up on our porch. She wouldn't leave. She would wail outside our door until Hubby would go outside and give her attention. We might have been convinced to take her in, after all, we only had three cats at that point, but the second she saw one of our cats she hissed and swatted. Hubby took her to the shelter in hopes that she could find a loving family.
Soon after that we moved to a different state and spent a year in an apartment. No unexpected visitors that I can remember. Then it happened. We built a house, found a new vet and out of the blue... the vet realized we are suckers. She called us because a client brought her a cat that had been hit by a car. He was fine but needed a home. Naturally she thought of the suckers who already owned three cats. No way, I said. Then, somehow, Hubby convinced me to go meet the cat. Morton has been with us for approximately six years.
At four cats I put my foot down. Hubby and I got our fix by volunteering at an animal shelter. Unfortunately, we would compare notes at home and we each loved the same cats. There is a female cat named Isabelle that I still think about. She was the sweetest, cuddliest cat ever. If we didn't already have four cats she would probably have joined our family. Unfortunately, the sweet little thing couldn't have stood up to our "manly" boys. She was eventually adopted, which makes me happy.
We've gone a few years with no visitors. And now.... there's a cat that is just BEGGING to join our family. He shows up every night when Hubby comes home from work. Sucker...oops, I mean Hubby, gives him food and water. (You can argue that he wouldn't show up if Hubby didn't feed him, but how do you turn away a hungry animal. Sorry, it's not going to happen). The cat scarfs it down. He's declawed, which annoys me. I'm not annoyed that he's declawed. I'm annoyed that someone either abandoned a declawed cat (a possible scenario because the juvenile delinquent who shot out our window with a BB gun and his family just moved out and it wouldn't surprise me if they left their cat behind) or lets their declawed cat stay out all night to go against coyotes. I refuse to have anything to do with this cat. One of us has to be strong and say no. Yes, we had to put Elwood down last year, so we "only" have three cats... but three is enough. Unfortunately, the cat was sitting on our porch when I left for work yesterday morning. He's cute. Still, I'm standing strong. Go find another sucker. (Actually, if he shows up again Hubby is going to try to crate him to take him to the shelter and see if he's microchipped. Keep your fingers crossed).
Oh, and if he moves on to another family of suckers I'm hoping he will take the SNAKE that was sunning itself on our sidewalk yesterday afternoon with him. I would be forever grateful. If he shows up on our porch with the snake dead in his mouth, heck, I might even agree to take him in!
I'll confess I hated cats until I met Elwood and Hootie. They were part of a package deal with Hubby. Until I met those two, the only exposure I had to cats was my grandparents' cat. I can't remember her name but every time we visited she would pee in our suitcase and chew holes in our socks. She didn't like us and I didn't like her.
Elwood "claimed" me as soon as he met me. Hootie was another story. He is one jealous guy. He destroyed some of my things in protest and I've never let him forget about it. Now the cat accepts me and we have a decent relationship. He knows who buys the cat food so he pretends to like me.
Two cats were plenty... but then along came Sebastian. Hubby and I are suckers for animals in distress. Hubby found Sebastian on our porch during a heat wave. He gave Sebastian some water and made a friend for life. Sebastian simply decided to stay put and he's been a great pet. He is incredibly skittish around the girls, much to their disappointment. Whenever Tortilla sees Sebastian she runs toward him, hoping to pet him. She's getting better at realizing he's timid.
Three cats... sounds like a good number. Then came Morton. He had been hit by a car and our vet worked on him for free. Then the vet needed to find him a home and decided we looked like pushovers. She was right. He's the only cat we own that has his front claws, but it has never been an issue. He doesn't scratch the girls and that's what counts... but he will thump them on the head if they pester him.
Before our daughters were born Hubby and I both volunteered at an animal shelter. I can't tell you the number of times we wanted to bring home "just one more." Fortunately we had enough sense to realize five is too many. Four is probably too many for most people but I can't picture our house without any of these guys.
Pets are a huge responsibility, especially when kids are in the picture. My cats were pretty neglected for the first year of my daughters' lives. Oh, they always had food and water as well as a clean cat box, but they didn't receive a whole lot of attention. Fortunately my daughters are now at an age where they take an active role in caring for our cats. They help put out the food. They ALWAYS tell me when a cat has coughed up a hairball. They play with the cats and even give them hugs. It's pretty cute to see. Unfortunately they've been asking when we're going to buy a puppy....
