By: Norgie Hester
Growing up I owned a dog. I really never cared much for cats. That all changed when the wonderful lady I married was a cat lover. Over the years we have accumulated a total of 10 cats, give or take a couple that show up at meal time. The ten cats have all been spayed and have gotten their necessary shots. We try to be good citizens and take care of our pets. I have come to the conclusion that we don’t own the cats….they own us. Here are some examples that seem to prove this point.
FOOD..They must have Meow Mix and Fancy Feast. They refuse to eat anything cheaper….I have tried to fool them…I can’t. When I tried this ruse they looked at me as if to say “I ain’t eating that crap. Go to the fridge and get me some of that delicious Smithfield Thin Sliced Turkey Breast. Do it now.” One cat, Fluffy, our Maine Coon Cat, will actually growl at us if we do not get the turkey immediately. When I check out at WalMart with a 30 pound bag of Meow Mix and Fancy Feast the smiling cashier ask “So you are still feeding those cats.” I answer in the affirmative and ask her if she wants one. She says “Thanks but I have five myself.”
MEDICAL..I am convinced that it is cheaper to furnish medical needs for a child than a cat. The vets in the county do a great job for pet lovers in Bladen. When I carry a pet to the vet the nice lady at the desk always greets the cat by it’s name…..she doesn’t k now mine. She advises that this particular cat, Snowflake, needs a series of shots. I feel as if I turn down this request that I will be shortening Snowflake’s time on this earth….so I say “O.K. I’ve got my Visa card with me.”
SLEEP DEPREVATION..Cats have their own schedule of sleep. They seem to want to play at 3 a.m. One of our cats, Sylvester, has learned to turn on the radio next to my bed. I lie not. I like Hank Williams singing All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down….but not at this time of the morning. Sassy, a very active happy cat, beats on the closet door when she wants to go out. It took me quite a while to realize what she wanted…but I finally figured it out. I really probably need only about 2 hours of sleep a night.
UNIQUENESS..We have had cats bring their hunting results directly to us. Once I opened the door for Fluffy and she ran in the house with a mouse in her mouth and dropped him in the kitchen. I grabbed the broom and promptly dispatched Mickey to mouse heaven. Another time I found a dead mid-size rabbit on the second floor deck of the house. Since I know rabbits cannot climb I assumed that it was put there by one of our hunting cats. Weekly we find dead prey on the porch. We have been blessed with moles, snakes, rats and frogs. Usually a cat is standing over it’s prey with the look on it’s face saying “Well I have done my part…..now where is my reward.”
One of our cats sometimes disappears for days at a time. When she shows back up she is none the worse for wear. Her fur has been combed and she seems to have eaten well. We finally decided that she has another family in the area and when she grows tired of us she visits them. I have had to keep the upstairs bathroom door closed. I once caught Sylvester messing with my toothbrush. I assume he wanted to brush. Usually after supper I adjourn to my “man cave” to check out which baseball teams are playing. I shut the door to enjoy the game. A scratch comes on the door. I ignore it. It continues until I give in and let Sylvester in. He crawls up on my recliner with me to watch the Red Sox and the Yankees. The score is 0-0 in the second. We both go to sleep. When I wake up it is the sixth inning and the Yanks are leading 6-5. I look at Sylvester and ask “What happened.” He looks at me with the expression “Duffis, I don’t know. I have been asleep. Don’t bother me anymore.”
As I mentioned we have ten cats, 5 inside and 5 outside. All of them have different personalities. We did not start out with ten…don’t know where they came from. It seems they just appeared.
We do not plan on having any more, although my better half saw a kitten at Burger King that hit her heart strings. She wants to bring her home, and with my luck she would be a “she”.
You decide for yourself….do we own the cats or do the cats own us. I know which it is.
About Author
