Here Kitty, Kitty

I want a cat. I want a cat real bad.

I grew up with cats from the age of five. The first cat we had was Jennifer. My mother was convinced that she and Jennifer were sisters in a past life. I would agree with this analysis. Jennifer adopted us when her pet parent just left her when they moved. RUDE! Jennifer was an only cat for awhile. One summer this little grey kitten joined us at the pool. She was beautiful! She was pointed with grey and tabby markings, and the person name of Ashley took hold. Ashley was a talker, and mainly loved to join you while you were *ahem* “giving-it-a-go”. Baby soon joined. There was Oscar, but he didn’t last very long and I couldn’t mention my kitty siblings without including him. When mom married Jack the brood was increased to 5 with Miss Kitty, and then Shadow. After a move to the country and a bit of time all of the original five have gone to kitty heaven. They went from old age, and some have gone the way of the coyote. (The rules are different for country cats and city cats.) There were of course other additions once I went to college, but they were my parents’ cats and not really mine. I remember my kitty sisters fondly. I love that there are pictures in photo albums of them. I know that Jennifer was named after my kindergarten best friend, that Ashley looked like ashes, that Baby was really named Amelia Peabody Emerson, that Miss Kitty was called Kitty until we (me & mom) decided she needed a real respectable name, and that Shadow could really sneak up on you when it was dark outside.

My husband has firmly said “NO!” to the idea of a litter box in the house, and thus to a cat. I am really sad over this. I really want a cat. Bad. The past two weeks I have had the pleasure to take care of Holly Cat (pictured above) & Emma Cat while my BFF was out of town. This has made the yearning for a cat stronger. Over New Year’s weekend Cats 101 was playing in marathon on the Animal Planet, and I watched every episode. I learned so much about cats. I learned that I really want a Maine Coon or a Ragdoll. These are huge cats! This has made the need for a cat even stronger. When I think about adding another furry friend (we have two dogs) to our family I think, “Must have, MUST HAVE NOW!”