Most people are either a "Cat" person or a "Dog" person.
I have found it more rare to love both.
It's no secret that I am a Cat person. Not a Dog lover at all.
( Please don't send me hate mail my Dog lover friends...)
We have had our Cat Mittens since 1996.
It's crazy that I have known my Cat longer than my husband.
Anyways...Mittens used to sleep with me ( back in my 20's.. ) and we had him de-clawed because he lived in the house.
He was my baby.
When I met Chad and we got married.. we took Mittens with us and he adjusted really well to our new home. It was quite the change! He needed to stay outside.
I worried about him.. ( because he was de-clawed ) but there was no need for worry.
He showed every animal in the "hood" who was boss.
Chad and I started our family... and each of the kids grew up loving and adoring Mittens.
Then we moved to our home now... which was just down the street.
It took a few days for him to adjust.. but he finally figured out we were staying permanantly.. and became the "King" here as well.
He protects our home much like a Dog.
He has answered to commands.
He fought the Pit Bull next door.. and sent the Dog running.. and pretty much owns us. Mittens knocks on the door when he wants treats and has even performed tricks in the past to get attention.
After we bought our home and gutted much of it.. the family before us had so many cats and dogs living inside.. when we tore out everything.. I couldn't even be in the house as they tore out the padding and carpet...it was so awful.. sick nasty bad. -- So I declared..
" NO animals in the house ever.. and that is a written commandment here."
Animals live outside.
In the last year... Poor mittens has gotten really skinny. I can feel and see his bones if you pet him down his back.. and I feel guilty and sad when I see him try to lay down carefully.
He is old.. and hurting.
He has been a great hunter for us.. keeping our home "Mouse free" but even his hunting days are coming to an end.
I don't know what to do.
I am torn whether to put him down.. or just let him suffer to the end.
It's hard.
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During the last 2 years.. we keep bringing other Cats to live with Mittens and help with the Mouse, Vole, rat and snake hunting.. but also be love able and cuddly friends to the kids.
Bandit came.
Mittens hated Bandit. Then Mittens tolerated Bandit. Then Mittens loved Bandit.
Then one day Bandit disappeared.
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Last May... I was driving home after taking care of Dad.
The kids were with me.. and we saw a HUGE sign that said "Free Kittens."
Tenney begged me to pull over. Begged.
I don't know what I was thinking.
I wasn't.
I pulled over.. even through my Dad was dying.. my days were spent there.. and I didn't have time to deal with a new kitten.
I rang the doorbell and asked about the Kittens.
The woman told me they only had one left.
I thought "oh good." I can tell the kids.. it wasn't meant to be.. and leave.
She brought the cat into me.. and of course it had bright blue eyes and was a Siamese type.
What we love.
And of course when I picked him up to hold him.. he nuzzled his little face into my neck.
Crap.
He came home with us.
We named him Skye.. and once again..
Mittens had to go through the hate-tolerate-love process.
The kids were in Heaven.
Looking back.. it was a good decision that he joined our family at that stressful time.. because he brought such joy to the kids--during that hard time.
Unfortunately... this picture was taken on the last day we saw him in September.
He disappeared just like Bandit.
I didn't even cry. I couldn't. I was grieving too much for Dad to start on something else too.
I am wondering if I just need to not form any sort of attachments to my cats.. because it's so hard to keep loosing them. It's hard to see my children hurt.
We are not sure if it's Foxes getting the cats... or if they are being taken.. but I told the kids it's nicer to think that someone is loving them in their home as we did.
*************
After Skye disappeared... I told the kids no more cats until Mittens is gone.
That didn't last long.
In October.. I was with some girlfriends for a night in Park City.. and Chad took the kids to his friend Adam's home that just "happened" to have found some little kittens.
That's all I heard about for the next 2 weeks.
Then one night.. Chad's friend Adam..called and asked us if we wanted them.. or they would be heading to the pound.
So.. we headed to Adam's house just too look.
This is WHY I cannot go into shelters.. Pet Stores... or stop at places that say Free Kittens.
I myself.. have no self control over their darling little faces.
Meet "Mouser".
She sounds like a squeaky mouse when she meows..
Meet "Tuffy"
( He looks like a Fluffy Tiger. )
Meet Tenney. The happiest pre-teen on the planet.
( And no... the cats are still outside. ) The kids only sneak them in sometimes.
But.. they do get in trouble.
Especially because they have animal allergies.. Including cats.
The things we do for LOVE.
*sigh*
Poor mittens... once again.. going through the hate-tolerate-love process.
I hope he trains them to be good hunters like he was.
I am happy to live in a Mouse free house (even with a huge field in back of us. )
I am happy when I hold the little purry fluff balls.
I am happy to see my kids happy.
Today I am Grateful for:
Bones the TV show. I laughed all night over the episode.
( And how cool to hear Mindy Gledhill's "anchor" on it! )
Date night with Chad.
Breakfast for Dinner ( A happy family )
Figuring out Pinterest on my own. Success!!! I have boards!
The weekend. So much to do... and it's all happy because I am with Chad!
12 comments:
Cats have always held a special place in my heart, even though I've had dogs too. Cats are more like me: they are independent but like to be loved and pampered, want to be left alone unless they decide they want to be with you, like birds :) and love to find a cosy spot to take a cat nap. I love Mittens and hope he gets his heating pad bed.
Oh boy can I relate to this. I blame all our kitten adoptions on my children, but I secretly know my heart fails me whenever I see a homeless kitty.
BTW, can I follow you on Pinterest? :)
You are a woman after my own heart! I didn't realize you were a crazy cat lady too.
Those are some sweet looking felines! I need to NOT go back and reread your post OR I might find myself with a new one.
You had me at cat lover!
Are you sure Mittens isn't hiring a hit man to take care of the other cats?
I, too am a cat lover. Those pictures are adorable! No wonder you couldn't resist.
okay, apparently we are lovers of both at my house. both PLUS other critters. :) i know what you mean about becoming attached. we lost another hen the other day. i was a wreck + seth is in north dakota and MIGHT be home late tomorrow. so daisy & i had to deal with it ourselves. no.fun. especially since its one of the chicks we helped fight for life while it was hatching, and one of the ones whose pen i slept by nightly to be sure the cats wouldn't get her. she was the most beautiful black with varigating shades of gold & tan & brown feathers. small but lovely. faster than fast, so we named her "zoom-zoom." i probably shouldn't be so upset about it, but i am. :( anyhow. i hope mittens finds comfort. maybe even getting snuck into the house here & there??? (sorry, totally something I would do. ::snicker::) anyhow. love ya girly! hang in there. snuggle those kiddos of yours, and those kitties. mouser is adorable, btw. and i LOVE your orange tabby's name! he's a mini-model after OUR tuffy! (my husband, who can't normally stand cats, said the other day that when our tuffy dies, we'll never have another cat again because they just don't make any other cats as cool as our orange boy.) ironic thing? our other cat, sullivan, is also the blue-eyed siamese type! you & i are twinners, sista-friend! hoorah! ::hugs::
I think I might be a cat person too if all cats were as awesome as mittens. Kittens are adorable. It's hard to resist. And actually simese cats are my favorite. I LOVE them. And if I ever became a crazy cat lady I would have a yard full of them.
I totally agree with the outdoor pet rule. Indoor pets gross me out and ruin houses.
Ann you are going to be an old cat lady - but it's all good (wink!).
We have always had both a cat and a dog. I also grew up with cats and dogs and loved them both.
Also I have no freakin' clue what my daughter is talking about as she grew up with both an indoor cat and an indoor dog and neither have ruined our house! Ha Ha (Maybe her inlaws?? they do have large indoor animals).
Anywho, the kitties look so cute. We had Himilayan's (sp?) with blue eyes when I was growing up - they are beautiful cats - your new little kitty reminds me of them.
Have fun.
P.S. Did Tenney just completely grow up in the last few months? She looks like a teenager.
Your cats are so cute! I am a total cat lover and a total dog hater, lol. I use to have cats when I was a child. My husband bought a dog last year and it goes crazy whenever it sees a cat, so no cats for us sadly. Maybe one day when the dog is gone. The kids will probably be gone by then too, so I'll need someone to cuddle. :) Cats are the best!
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OK...NOT a cat lover. My sister was and we had a siamese cat for a long time while growing up. AND, it could use the toilet....we were told how to train it to do that. NO cat litter boxes, nope, she used the toilet. COOL EH.
I prefer dogs myself.
But doesn't matter what the pet, they certainly to work their way into your heart eh.
It is good for children to understand and learn about love and care...via a pet.
and btw...I just joined Pinterest and haven't the foggiest idea how to use it or what the heck about nothing. Grrrr, frustrating me.
Those kittens are way too cute and I would have had a hard time saying no, too! My favorite animals are dogs but I've come to love cats too. We've got two of them! It's a requirement now at many shelters that if you adopt from them, you agree to keep your cat indoors because there is a high rate of them disappearing or becoming homeless again or worse when they spend lots of time outside.
I know what it is to have a beloved pet who you've had for a long time age and come close to their time to leave this earth. It's very hard. But I really believe that Heavenly Father knows that animals are a part of families and that we can be with them forever too.
That is so sad about you losing two kitties! Your new ones are adorable! I remember losing cats as a kid and being so sad but when ever we got a new one it really helped. I still miss some of the cats we had. We had a cat that lived to be 19 years old. I was 17 when we put her to sleep, so I had her my whole life up until I was 17. I still really miss her. They become part of your family.
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