When did your love of cats begin? What drew you to these wonderful, magical, mystical beings?
For me it started in the summer of my 15th year. My family had moved to a new home and I was quite lonely after having left a community that I had lived in for 4 years, which meant I had to leave my first "best friends" behind.
My brother and I were in our backyard where at it's furthest point was a large wooded area. We kept hearing this noise that sounded like shrill little squeaks or peeps. Upon further investigation we discovered a tiny, tiny calico kitten....not more than a few days old (if that) abandoned under a pile of leaves.
She was precious. Her eyes were little slits and she was fairly helpless, no signs of her Mom or brothers or sisters anywhere, I imagine she could have been the runt of the litter. I gingerly carried her to our house.
My Mother HATED CATS, when I say hated cats she REALLY, REALLY HATED CATS. I was allowed to keep the kitten in the basement in a cardboard box with a hot water bottle. As soon as she heard me stirring in the morning her tiny little voice would hungrily begin to squeak, I was her world, the only "Momma" that she knew and I was so proud of my furry little baby!
In my heart I felt her Momma had abandoned her and I was determined to care for her in such a wonderful, diligent and responsible way that I was certain my own Mother would reward me by not abandoning my hopes of being the kitten's surrogate Momma and allow me to keep her.
The kitten was so tiny I could hold her in one hand while I fed her ever so gently with an eye dropper. I am trying to think now what in the world did we do about litter because I honestly don't remember and no one in my family had ever had a cat.
I barely remember what I fed her (I am assuming milk which couldn't have been a good idea but we did it and the kitten thrived). Caring for the kitten proved to be the perfect remedy for the sadness I had felt when we moved and I was forced to leave my friends. I knew in my heart that this little kitten would indeed fill the void and become my new best friend!!
One day I came home (I doubt the kitten was even a month old) and my mother informed me she had put an ad in the local paper advertising a "free kitten". The people who would take the cat were on their way over.
The pain I felt was unreal, but not nearly as unreal as the pain I felt when I was forced to hand the adorable, tiny, warm milk smelling furball who I had so diligently and lovingly cared for over to her new "parents". I remember my hands shaking as I handed her to them (my mother made me hand the kitten to them because she refused to touch the cat).
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| Anthony and Maureen Willott's former kittens |
I abruptly left the basement and ran to my room where I was overcome with grief. I remember sobbing so desperately on my bed. My heart was broken. My plan of caring for the kitten in a most mature and responsible way and sharing many, many years with her was thwarted by my cat loathing mother. I never forgave her for that and from that moment on I became obsessed with all things cats. Cat shirts, cat drawings, cat banks, anything and everything that pertained to cats. I vowed I would have a cat of my own one day. It took over 15 years for me to have one but indeed I did and he was the most special cat that ever lived.... aren't they all?
This post first ran in November 2009...I thought it was worth repeating....Caren
Oh Caren....your story broke my heart. I could feel your hurt and pain when you had to give up that little fur baby. *hugs*
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandmother was afraid of cats. She passed that fear on to my mother (although I was adult before she ever admitted that fear). My dad grew up on a farm, so cats weren't pets to him. I grew up with dogs. And I loved dogs. My friends all had kittens/cats when I was growing up, but I was never allowed to have my own. So when mom passed away I got my first kitten - I was 40. I'm 50 now and have 15...I think I'm making up for all of the years I couldn't have a cat!
Honestly? I think that was a terribly cruel act on your mother's part. Poor kitten. Poor you.
ReplyDeleteI grew up mostly with dogs and horses, though we had a couple of barn kittens from a neighbour that sadly passed in short order, and we "adopted" a 6-month old cat when I was a bit older.
But most of my experience with cats has come as an adult, when I adopted my first ("angel" Chumley) in April 2001.
@Clarissa, you sound like me! (although I don't have 15 cats but if I lived on a farm or something I would!!)
ReplyDeleteI found Bobo just before I turned 40 so we are so similar!!
We had one dog until I was about 7...after she passed my parents said no more pets. What a void!
Thank you for sharing your story! xoxoxo
@Kea, I wish I were lying! lol. You would have to know my mother (we have no relationship...the cat incident was a minor "blip" compared to how I grew up, that could be an entirely NEW BLOG lol, totally unrelated to cats!)
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting to read about how all of you began loving cats, I love it and thank you for sharing!
Your story was really sad Caren. Sorry to hear about that experience. My dad got his first cat at 38 and comes from a long line of dog people. It started with meeting friends with cats and finding out how adorable we all are. Then he met my mom and it was over. All three of us are so happy together.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
My first cat was a long haired cat, named Fluffy. I don't recall having her long. She was an outside cat and she came into the house and left a 'deposit', no litter box inside for her. I remember my G-Mother getting after her with the broom. After that I don't know what happened to 'Fluffy'. Over the years my children had cats growing up, but they were outside cats. Years after, I had my own inside cats, in my home, and a bunch they were. Dogs are sweet, but I'm a cat person indeed.
ReplyDelete((((((((((CAREN)))))))))))...that's a hug from our mama who has been a kitty and doggie lover forever!!!!!! Thankfully she was blessed with parents that also loved cats and dogs.
ReplyDeletexxxxxxxx
I can't really pinpoint a time in my life when I became a cat lover. We have always had cats as a family growing up and I have always loved animals
ReplyDeleteMy love of cats? I was bitten at an early age.
ReplyDeleteOh Caren… What a sad story. I can’t imagine how bad you must have felt… and how hard it must have been to hand over that sweet little baby. You poor thing….I’m sending hugs!
ReplyDeleteI was always a dog girl, but I have to admit, I was like your mom when it came to cats. I HATED cats! My only experiences with them were bad ones. When I met Marc, and realized he had a cat, my first thought was “Oh Shit! This is not gonna be good…” But from day one, Alex was so sweet and charming. He not only made me love him, but all his feline friends.
@Wyatt's Corner, thanks so much! Awwww I loved YOUR story!! It is never too late to love cats!! Thanks so much for sharing :)
ReplyDelete@GreatGranny, what a charming story, thanks for sharing! I wonder what happened to Fluffy too!
ReplyDeleteI love dogs as well but yes "I am a cat person indeed" also :)
@Sammy and Andy (((((((((hugs)))))))) back at ya and thank you!! xoxo
ReplyDelete@The Paw Relations, how lucky you were to be able to grow up with cats. When I was young I don't even recall having any friends who had cats. All of my friends had dogs.
ReplyDelete@Hilary, thank you!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you though for giving Alex a chance when you at first didn't like cats....it was a match made in Heaven that is for sure!
Thanks for sharing!
What a terribly poignant story Caren. I'm so sorry that your relationship with your mother was so bad :( How lovely, though that your love for all things feline was eventually allowed to flourish.
ReplyDeleteIn our family there were always cats - both sets of grandprarents, aunts, uncles - and also there were dogs! When my brother and I were both small, we had moved to a new area and my dad had settled into a new job. On the radio one morning, it was mentioned that the world was divided into those that loved cats and those that loved dogs! (Personally I don't agree with that. I love both lol). Anyway, my dad asked us what we liked the best, and we both said "cat". So we went out there and then to the pet shop where there was one tabby kitten left from a litter. They couldn't find it, though! We looked everywhere and were just about to walk out disappointed, when there was a shout from the back of the shop. "Found her." She was hiding behind some sacks of feed. She was beautiful. Dad paid and carried her all the way home in his arms! No carriers in those days lol. We called her Mynty and she stayed with us eleven years before she sadly got cancer and had to be put to sleep :( I've been an ailurophile ever since :)
That brought tears to my eyes. I can fully understand what you went through. We had dogs as I grew up but I enticed neighborhood kitties to my house to love on. One girl cat even had her kittens there in our pantry. I was allowed to feed and care for them but they weren't mine so they went home more than not but always came back.
ReplyDeleteI became the cat person I am today after we got Robin//a small 5 1/2 pound little girl soaking wet at the age of 16. We raised her from a just weaned baby until she said goodbye.
I love everyone's babies and certainly my own. On Flickr, I go see all the kitty babies grown or not before I go thru other pictures. :-) I post some of my own of course.
I hate that you had to go thru that, my dear friend. Sending love and hugs and purrs from the Admiral too.
Admiral's Mom
Oh I am so sorry to hear about your awful experience of letting your first precious fur baby go! You know my mum could be so many things aggravating but she would never have broken my heart in such a way. She knew I was strange liking animals since I was little but she tolerated my many kitties!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heartbreaking story here!! This is my first time on your blog and I'm so pleased to "meet" you and your gorgeous fur babies! Take care
x
Our mum couldn't have a cat as a child as her mum had asthma and they made it much worse. When she left home after a short time she had her first kitten and has had cats ever since.
ReplyDelete@Carolyn, it is ok! There is no relationship...as I said that would be an entirely different topic to create a whole new blog on lol.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story about your Mynty, I loved the image of imagining what your father would have looked like carrying her in his arms.
I am so sorry for your loss but I am so happy for the joy she must have given you those 11 years!
@Admiral's Mom...another sweet story! I love reading about how all of you came to be the "cat people" that you are today! Everything happens for a reason so I have no regrets.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that even if the cats you took care of had to leave, that they always came back to see you. Animals do NOT forget, that is for sure.
Hugs to you and thanks for sharing!
Aww what a touching story, I can't imagine what it must have been like to have to give away your "baby"! But thanks to that little kitten, your cats benefit from all the love that you have to give. :)
ReplyDelete@Old Kitty, we definitely aren't talking about a run of the mill Mom here so believe me she did much, much worse but it is ok...it probably helped to give me the sensitivity that I have today so it is all good.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to meet you as well and I am now following your blog (which I enjoyed immensely when I stopped by earlier today)
Hope you will be a regular here!
@Hannah and Lucy, i am so sorry you couldn't have a cat either when you were young. What do you do for your asthma now since you have cats? Do you have to take a pill or something?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
I'm so sorry you had to lose the little one to someone else.. but hopefully she went to a family who all loved her.
ReplyDeleteAs for me - I can't even remember when my love for felines started. Mina was my companion for her lifespan of 15 years; now I have Toby and Leia, each about 6 years old. Toby came to me as a tiny ball of orange fluff, about four weeks old. He is simply an extraordinary cat. And Leia was about 6 months when she arrived, to be his consort. (And to save my toes. He was a ferocious kitten!). But they are simply my world, and my heart.
@Ellie and Mom....sooooo true! Exactly! :)
ReplyDelete@The Whiskeratti thank you! Funny thing is I don't remember what the people looked like. I do remember that they were probably nice, I remember it being a man and a woman....I know I was shaking when I handed the kitten to them and immediately ran upstairs and cried my heart out.
ReplyDeleteOhhh your Toby must have been so precious being only 4 weeks old at the time and Leia (what a wonderful name) was truly a gift as well.
I love how you said "they are simply my world, and my heart"....so true...thank you for sharing your heart with us!
Hello!Dear Friend!How are YOU?!
ReplyDeleteWhat sad story!
I can not remember when I began to love ....because our prophet liked the cats very much and that is why we Muslims like the cat very much...
Aw Caren, I'm so sorry! Grown-ups can be so thoughtless and mean to kids, it just never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for re-posting this so I got to read it.
ReplyDelete@Amin, Hi! Is your wife better? Is she home from the hospital yet?
ReplyDeleteI do think I remember hearing that Muslims have always liked cats very much :)
@Weetzie's thank you!!! Ohhhh yes they sure can be! (making me give a kitten away is NOTHIN' compared to what my brother, sister and I lived).
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading...yep this was an oldie...at that time I think I maybe had 2 followers so I dusted it off and brought it out. Glad you enjoyed it!
Mario's mom here - Oh Caren. I feel so bad for you. What a terrible thing to do to you - make you give up a kitten dat was rescuing you too. That is so very very sad. That's a hateful thing to do to you. HUGS
ReplyDeleteThanks for reposting - I'd never read this. Isn't it amazing how one teeny little creature can so change your life? Cats seem to be masters at that, too. Just remember that kitten was blessed with LIFE thanks to you, and you were indeed a perfect mom for her. (((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteOh Caren,
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how your heart was breaking that day and I want to give that little girl a big ((((HUG)))). I do not think we ever get over the cruel things our parents do to us and it leaves a hole in the heart that is so hard to fill.
When I was a bout 11 or 12 a friend of mine had a horse and I would go to the stable with her to groom and ride it. One night my father, after several drinks, said he found a horse for me and if I could ride it he would buy it for me. He said we would get up early in the morning and head over to the ranch where the horse was being boarded. Well, you know where this is going..the next day I got up early and waited for dad to get up. When I asked him when we were going to the ranch he said " I am not going to buy you a horse"..I do not think I ever forgave him for lying to me!
Your story is so much worse and I know how heart broken I was.
Our family had dogs, my mother hated cats also. I let my kids have cats and we had a favorite cat named Garfield that was an indoor/outdoor cat. One night he did not come home and it broke my heart and at that time I swore if I ever got another cat it would not be allowed outside.
Fast forward to three years ago:
As you probably know, Hubby and I have two homes..I live in the Condo during the work week and he is up in Loveland. I had been yearning for a pet for years and because our home in Loveland is not fenced and we have many wild animals, I felt a dog was out of the question.
When I announced I was getting a Cat, Hubby about blew a gasket! He kept telling me he hated Cats and the cat would have to stay at the Condo. I am stubborn and decided to "Have my Own Way"!!
When we went to get the kitten, Hubby acted aloof, and let me do all the talking..he barely looked at the kitten.
That lasted about 1/2 hour after we brought Chloe home..He was smitten! Six months later we brought Cecil home and they have been the lights of our lives.
When Cecil was about year old he took several minutes of a spin in the dryer. It was so devastating to both of us..we do not know how he got in there but believe me it did not look like he would make it.
Several days at the Vet, nightly transfers to the Emergency Vet, $2500.00 later, and he is as good as new. These two Cats are our Furry children and we are both head over heels!!
Shawn
What a wonderful story! You were destined to be a crazy cat lady :)
ReplyDeleteWe always had cats, so I don't know what it would be like to not have them. When I was young I collected cat-stuff...books, figurines, pictures. I stopped when I had babies and now I've started again :) Once a crazy cat lady...
I hope it's OK if I say that your Mother must be a sad individual.
ReplyDeleteI have ALWAYS preferred Cats to Dogs, as long as I can remember. I got my first kitty when I was three, and I've never been without a Cat since except the couple of years I lived at college. Even then, I had my kitty fix on summer vacation! Thank Cod Hubby is blotto about Cats as I am.
Oh Caren, how sad! (((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was growing up, we couldn't always have a real cat where we lived so we had stuffed ones that when you moved their head back and forth, a ball inside made a purring sound (and I still have them!)
Cody is lucky to have you as a mama!
((((HUGS))))) What a beautiful story; it made me cry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful, heart-touching post!
ReplyDeleteOh, that is such a sad story. I have my own story involving a tiny little calico kitten, and I am so thankful that when she came my way I was an adult - else she would likely have gone the way yours did. My mom is not fond of cats, either, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteTucker's Mom
Such a sad tale, -but that kitty was so blessed to be found by you, hopefully the new caretakers were as caring and warm!!! Ms. Z.
ReplyDeleteThat was a tough way to become a cat-rescuer but I sure am glad that you continued to love cats and want to care for them. It is something special within us that draws you to the cat and gives you the ability to love them like we do. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5
ReplyDeleteMy Dad has had kitties since he was 5, and believe me, that's a long time ago in a galaxy far away...oops, sorry, wrong movie. Seriously, he has loved kitties for a very long time. He said to tell you he would have gotten a new Mom and kept the kitty. We're glad you have the catpassion!
ReplyDelete@Mariodacat (or "M")....loooooong story. Let's just put it this way, when I was 5 I used to lay in bed at night and think that my real mom was NOT my real mom and that my REAL mom would come and take me away. 'nuff said. xoxoxo
ReplyDelete@CindyLu, that was soooo sweet! I used to always wonder what happened to that cat. Every time I see a calico cat I think of that kitten. I used to have a photo showing me feeding the kitten with an eye dropper...can't find it. If I run across it I will scan it and post it one day. Glad you enjoyed the post xoxo
ReplyDelete@shawn, thankyou soooo much for sharing your story as well.
ReplyDeleteYour story about the horse completely broke my heart. Mine wasn't worse...yours hurt as much as mine did....see how we both remember the stories so vividly? I was 15 and not a little girl, I just vowed that one day I would get a cat and I did.
I am so glad that Chloe won over your husband and that poor Cecil was fine after his dryer adventure!
You must have been terrified!!
xoxoxo
@Angie, yep "once a crazy cat lady...." I would love to have 3 like you have...we are only allowed 2 pets at the condo where we live, soooo we have our two....if we ever move where I can have more pets....watch out!!! lol
ReplyDelete@Katnip Lounge, you are more than welcome to say that because that is exactly what she is. xoxo
ReplyDelete@Trippin, that is sooooo cute! Are those like the ones that people used to put in the back of their cars in the window?
ReplyDeleteYour kids are lucky to have YOU! xoxo
@mom2acat thank you! Didn't mean to make you cry :(
ReplyDelete@Ingrid, thank you!! xoxo
ReplyDelete@Tucker, I am so sorry that you had a mother that would have done the same thing. I am soooo happy you found your little calico as an adult too! xoxo
ReplyDelete@Ms.Z....shouldn't surprise you!! lol....you have some sort of idea of what my Mom was like! :)
ReplyDelete@Deb soooo true! Thanks for your kind words! Actually I am very skeptical of people who don't like animals (cats and dogs)....if they don't feel a love for them there is something missing in their personality as far as I am concerned
ReplyDelete@Brian "catpassion" I love it!!
ReplyDeleteWell...now that I am an adult I have a cat (and dog) and no relationship with my mother....sort of took your advice!!!
:)
Hi Caren, what a sweet sweet story. I'm glad you're now able to have the kitties that you desire. And they are lucky to have you, too!
ReplyDeleteAunty Caren,
ReplyDelete((((((HUGS)))))) My Mama said she's always had cats all her life. Everybody in our family loves cats. Even Mama's bro-in-law who's allergic would sometimes visit (with face mask, anti-histamine etc) coz he misses my bro Tom. We're happy people, I must say. purrrr....meow!
Caren
ReplyDeleteYou truly touched my heart! Thanks so much for sharing such a tender story. Your cat is truly blessed to have a mamma like you who loves cats so much.
You inspire me...
Be refreshed,
Dawn
Caren, For me , It's a heart touch story. I feel sad for you in someway and another way, I feel very happy for you to know yourself earlier. That's you are a cat person. Look at my mom, she never known herself till she met me in the age of 42. She miss out so long but now she is totally on it " Cat lover "
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad beginning for your love affair with all things cat... but how wonderful that you finally got your happy ending, and that it was so much better than you probably could have ever dreamed!! There is *nothing* like a cat. :)
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate. My mom grew up on a farm with plenty of cats around--although her parents saw cats strictly as an *outdoor* proposition, for mousing--and she always knew that one day she'd share her own home with cats. My dad, on the other hand, grew up in the city, but his parents loved cats and kept them *inside*. After my folks married, they moved around a lot, and having a cat wasn't convenient.
That all changed one day when I was almost 5, and my dad took me to see one of his friends... whose cat had a litter of kittens. I was, naturally, smitten, and picked out my very first boycat (with green eyes like mine! ;)), and the rest, as they say, is history!
(Little side-note: When I was maybe 8, my dad gave me three beautiful b&w photos he had taken/developed/printed himself... of each of his cats from when he was growing up. Those pictures hung in my bedroom for years... and I always thought my dad was the coolest man on the planet, after that. :))
What a sad story...but at least you gave that kitten an opportunity to have a happy life. I got my first kitty when I was about three and I've been a kitty-lover all my life. With the exception of a couple of years in a college dorm, I've never been without a furry friend!
ReplyDeleteYour story broke my heart!
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of the time I brought a kitten home and hid it in my room for 2 days until my parents found it! They made me take it back where I got it from, so I did, tears and all. My dad hated cats and said we could never have one.
20 years later I still don't have a cat but my dad has 2 of them!
Peggy thank you!! If my husband and I ever move I will have more than just my Cody that I have now...I am very lucky to have been blessed with my Angel Bobo and my Cody
ReplyDelete@Cat-in-Sydney ((((thank you!!))))) I loved the part about the mask lol!! I can just picture that!
ReplyDelete@Dawn, you are way too kind! thank you! I am the one who is blessed to have had 2 wonderful kitties (and however briefly, the kitten who made me fall in love with cats!)
ReplyDeleteYour words mean a lot, thank you! xoxo
Mr.Puddy your Mom didn't know she loved cats til she was 42? You are her first cat? ohhhhh how lucky your Mom is to have such an incredible cat as her first cat!!!! Your Mom's love of you and cats in general really comes through!!! You have a wonderful mom and she has a wonderful YOU! xoxoxo
ReplyDelete@glamkitty, your story sooooooo touched me! Your Dad sounds like a wonderful man, soooo caring and he seems like he is so gentle! Your memories are sooo beautiful and I thank you for sharing them. He gave you such a beautiful gift and yes he sounds like he was the "coolest man on the planet"!!!! xoxo
ReplyDelete@Spitty, it was a loooong time ago, I am older than dirt!!! lol. Yes you are lucky to have grown up with cats though! I am grateful that I was blessed with my Angel Bobo and my crazy Cody! xoxo
ReplyDelete@Jen ohhhhhhh YOUR story broke MY heart!!! you poor baby!!!!! I feel sooooo bad!
ReplyDeleteYour Dad hated cats and now he has two? What made him start to like them?
Didn't you mention once that where you currently live you can't have cats?
I feel sooooo bad for you and I pray that one day you are in a position to be able to have the wonderful kitty that you so very, very much deserve!! xoxo
Wot a mean mummy you had! How could anyone *not* love cats?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely worth another look - terrific post, but I am so sorry about that trauma!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about your first kitty, that broke my heart to read, you poor thing. I come from a cat loving family. My parents had a cat even before they had kids I think. We never actually BOUGHT one. We just accuired one, be it a stray or a give-away. Sometimes it was spooky how we'd just endup with a cat, not long after we had lost one to illness. Dad would always be like.."We're not keeping it!" and then he'd be the one who the cat loved! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the cats we had when I was really little, (except for Fluffy, who woke me in the middle of the night having kittens on my bed!!)but I remember it was my job to feed them. I've had a few over the years. My very first cat was Whiskers, who was a wild cat who I saw every day after school before eventually befriending him and took him home. Mum and Dad were fine with me keeping him. But unfortunatly we had to move house and during the move, Whiskers ran away. I saw him once after that but he had grown wild again and it broke my heart. The next cat I had was Cindy. Dad had brought her home from work. She'd been abandoned by her feral mother. She was wild at first but she eventually warmed to me. One morning I came to feed her and she had passed away. I burried her tiny little body in the back yard. My next cat was Cassie, whom I've told you about. She is the one I think about the most. I loved that cat to bits and I was so devistated when I lost her to cancer. Next I had Chloe. Who also died after a few years. She was adorable and sweet, although for some reason I cant remember much about her. She had cancer to.
Then I had Erin, who I got when I was living with a friend far away from my family. Erin was a naughty girl and had a litter of kittens before I could get her desexed. She had them when I was at work. One had died. Poor little thing. I had to leave her with my friend when I moved back to the city with my baby boy. And NOW I have Moby. After Cassie, probably the cat I've had the longest. He is getting on in years but I still love the silly lovable "scruffy mutt" (my nickname for him)
p.s sorry for the book long comment...
Your story truly broke my heart too, Caren. The handing over the kitty to some strangers was so cruel to that little girl and I felt so sorry for her! How I wish I were there to give her a big hug and tell her that she would have her own kitties one day and she would be a good momma to her kitties.
ReplyDeleteI never have cats in my life. My parents never like cats and neither does my sister. She is a true dog lover; she can pick up any dirty, smelly, injured stray puppies/dogs from the street, took them home and cared for them. Within weeks, those little strays which under intensive good care transform into beautiful and healthy dogs. She doesn't bother whether the dogs are pedigree or mixed; she just loves them.
To me, cats were always cats before I came to this blogging land, however, I start to have more interests in cats and I do find they are very different from dogs. Besides, I live in a place that I'm surrounded by cats!!! I really can't tell how many cats there are in my neighbourhood!
So glad you finally found Bobo and you have little cute Cody now and yeah, you have Dakota, a sheltie too : )
@Darwin, I can understand some people not particularly caring for cats, there are a lot of people that feel that way. What made it unfathomable was a mother breaking a 15 yr old's heart who she saw ADORED the cat, was taking care of the cat and doing such a cruel thing. But if you knew my mother it fit her overall profile.
ReplyDelete@Life With Dogs, thanks a million! So glad you stopped by and hope you will visit again!
ReplyDelete@Alittlesprite, don't apologize for a long comment. I am thrilled with the number of you who have shared the stories of how you first got your cats and how your love of cats started. They are all such beautiful, beautiful stories and the kitties that you have all known were and ARE indeed very, very lucky kitties!
ReplyDelete@Priscilla, thank you for your kind words! I know you are a dog lover (and I love them too!!!) and it makes it even more special all of the support that you give to all of us who blog about cats.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do know about you is you may not have cats, but you LOVE and RESPECT animals....you understand the love that cat lovers feel (because the actual love isn't different than that of a dog lover). You don't have to love or even like cats to have compassion and that is what you have.
We had a dog til I was 7 but once she passed my parents (particularly my mother) said no more, mostly because she was a neat freak. She was never particularly an animal lover at all and to me that speaks volumes about a person's personality.
You love ANIMALS plain and simple, I know this, and THAT is what it is all about!
Oh Caren, I'm sorry to say but your mum was nasty! What a story, I was heartbroken for you when you had to hand over the kitten!
ReplyDeleteMy love for cats has been lifelong and I think you have inspired me to write a post about it, if that is okay with you :-)
My love of cats started as a child like you. Although we were never allowed to have a house cat, strays always seemed to find their way to our house, where mom and dad would allow us to give them shelter in our garage. Back then no one we knew ever took these cats to the vet to be spayed, so we would always end up with a litter of adorable kittens. Then when they were old enough we'd take them to our relatives farm where they could live out their lives in relative warmth and be well fed by the barn mice. I could never stand to part with them and vowed when I was old enough I'd have my own house cat, and have had at least 1 for the past 40 years, along with at least 1 dog. Currently we have 2 dogs and 2 cats, but at one point we had 3 inside cats and were taking care of a 4th one who neighbors had left to fend for himself. Cats add so much love to our lives if we only let them.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful and wonderful photos about cats...
ReplyDeleteThank You very much Dear Friend ,She is better now.She is at home now.
@Cat, the sad thing is that she is STILL nasty and has always been. I am sorry but that is the truth!
ReplyDeleteCat you silly woman! You can write about whatever you wish!! This isn't my topic alone...I can't wait to read your post!
@Chris, thank you for sharing your beautiful story. I love that you were able to have cats who ended up having kittens and that they lived most of their lives on a farm. That was probably wonderful for them!
ReplyDeleteI am also so glad that for the past 40 yrs you have had cats!! I think having 2 dogs and 2 cats would be wonderful....I have to say though...as much as I do love dogs I think owning 4 cats would be my preference :)
@Amin, I am so happy to hear that your wife is doing well and that she is back home. That is very good news!
ReplyDeleteYes, the hoomans have a friend who does not like cats at all. It just makes me follow her around all the more when she visits! One day she'll realise that she loves me really.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a sad story! I guess I'm lucky - my mom was a huge cat lover and my dad tolerated them, so I can't remember ever not having a cat aside from the 2 years I lived in the dorms in college. I can't imagine a life without them!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you had to have such a painful experience but then it brought you into the lives of cats and cat lovers everywhere. My mom loved all animals but was very allergic to cats so we had dogs. My grandmother loved cats and would befriend the neighbor cats so I did get to know many. I loved all critters perhaps more than people. At age 30 something I decided it was time for cats and never looked back!
ReplyDeleteSending lots of hugs because it sounds like you did not get any from your Mom.
ReplyDelete{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
There have always been kitties around and I was a sucker for every one(and they knew it)
I got my own as an adult.After years of the "party life" I decided to stay home more and ge a cat. Now, I have 6
Oh yeah, I'm crazy too !!!!!!! hahaha
@Darwin, isn't it wonderful how cats can be in a room full of people and pick the ONE person who doesn't care for them?
ReplyDeleteYou gooooooo Darwin! Good job! xoxo
@OKcats yes you were most certainly lucky!! I can't imagine life without a cat either! :)
ReplyDelete@cats of wildcat woods....I soooo agree! There have been many, many times in my life where I prefer cats (and dogs) to people!
ReplyDelete@Mickey, Georgie, Tillie ((((((hugs))))) back at ya!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at the "party life"....ohhhh been there done that!! :)
Six cats! I love it!!
We cat people aren't "crazy" we are just in love!! xoxo
What a story... that must've been so hard to deal with. I never cared for cats, was always a dog person, mainly because everytime I went to someone's house with a cat, it meant I'd be leaning as far behind the couch as I could, trying to pet the thing. Last year, my old roommate found Butters while working on a car in a pretty much abandoned lot. The vet's say he had just opened his eyes that day, about 10 days old. I spent the next several months feeding him and teaching him how to do everything - run, crawl, bathroom, the works - and that is how it started with me. It took 25 years. Not sure if I will ever be able to have a bond with a cat as I have had with Butters. Not only did I raise him but he grew up around people and dogs, did not see another cat til he was about 4 months old. So he is definitely a special guy. Just glad to hear that you found the little one and gave her a chance :) Take care.
ReplyDelete@MissKris, I had to laugh that you said when you tried to pet a cat when you were young you had to lean across the couch...if you ignored it, it would have come right to you! Your story about Butters was just beautiful and I DO understand. I had a bond like that with my Bobo. I am crazy about my Cody but he is a totally different cat and came to me under totally different circumstances so he isn't attached to me at all in the way that Bobo was. I bet your Butters loves dogs! I love his name "Butters" Thanks for sharing your story!
ReplyDelete*Sniffle*...so sad. My momma had to give my first pet back because, well, she really was deathly allergic to all things fuzzy, and she refused to live in a Momma-house (why, i still don't know).
ReplyDelete:( But I'm glad you got your baby! Fuzzies do make life worth living.
Love the photo with the stuffed bunny!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~
ReplyDelete