The crazy cat lady

I am the crazy cat lady.

I lived with both dogs and cats growing up, but our cats were always indoor/outdoor cats (read mostly outdoor).

Everything I've read says that cats are very independent creatures with little to no 'pack' mentality. But I disagree.

To give some background, Jason and I moved in together (officially) in September of 2001. In November, we solidified our relationship by adopting two dependents; Beatrice and Benedick.
Beatrice was an older female who instantly preyed upon Jason's weak spot for the 'underdog' or the animal who would otherwise go unadopted. I fell in love with a ball of fur no bigger than my hand, who was scaling the door to his kennel and mewing pitifully. We (begrudgingly) decided on taking home the older female when the shelter associate explained that they were having a 'two-for-one' on cats. Adopt one, get one free!! So, we brought home both cats. Beatrice spent the first two months under our bed and little baby Benedick spent the first two months draining our wallets from vet visits to cure him of Bordatella. (The feline version of 'kennel cough'.)
Beatrice had obviously been an outdoor cat as we soon learned. The only time she came inside was to use the bathroom. No joke. She eventually stopped coming home for meals, but would meow at the back door to be let in, where she would promptly do her business and ask to be let out again. Eventually, she stopped coming home altogether.
But Benedick was always a homebody. He went from being a scrawny, snotty li'l furball to a 13-pound Mainecoon in no time.

He was our 'only child' for years until a friend of a friend had two litters of kittens and still needed to find a home for one...



It was two days after Jason's birthday in 2005 when I drove to go pick up our new addition, a tortoiseshell female. Upon arriving, I saw another little kitten (all black) and inquired as to whether she had found a home for that one as well.
Big mistake. Ha.
She explained that the black kitten was from her other litter and had an umbilical hernia that was quite pronounced, making him unadoptable. She was pretty sure it was going to require costly surgery and he'd have to be put down. I instantly collected both kittens in my carrier and off we went for home. (Thank goodness Jay has a soft spot for unadoptables. I didn't get into any trouble whatsoever!)

This was also the year that our family had discovered 'LOST'... the TV series. So, our new additions were named Claire and Sawyer. Sawyer grew to a healthy size and age and got his surgery where they tucked his spleen and gallbladder back into their correct cavity and gave him a nice, flat tummy that would make any Beverly Hills housewife jealous.
Claire and Sawyer decided to get in one last propagation before being fixed. Upon discovering her pregnancy, my daughter asked if we could keep one of the kittens. Ummm... no. We already had three cats. And even that was gently nudging me into a certain kind of depression. (I love cats, but honestly don't want to be a crazy cat lady.)
Thinking I knew something about genetics, I looked at my black cat and my tortoiseshell and relented with a "Fine, you can keep the white one." Parental Psychology, right? She feels like she got her way and I got one over on the kid 'cuz there's no way these two will ever have a white cat.
The firstborn was calico just like mom and the second and third were midnight black just like daddy. The last.... was white. With blue eyes. Our genetic freak.
What makes him a freak is that he got all of the recessive genes... and statistically speaking, should be either blind or deaf. But our little Spartacus was neither.

'Sparky' should technically belong to my daughter... but he and I have bonded. I'm sure some of it has to do with imprinting and early bonding. He was born in our house, slept beside my bed in the whelping box... and at two years old, we now have routines together.
He typically wakes me up in the mornings by 'making muffins' on my belly or my backside... or by curling up by my head and purring loudly.
First thing in the morning (or after my walk) I'm typically outside on the patio working on my laptop, answering emails, blogging, etc. Spartacus knows that this is 'cuddle time' where I will be in one spot for a bit. Every morning, he jumps onto my lap, 'makes muffins' on my thigh and then curls up for his morning nap. After dinner when I typically catch up on my recorded shows, he will do the same. If I'm not in an appropriate position on the couch, he will whine and yell until I accommodate him. No joke.

When I'm in a show, he mopes in the evenings and harasses Jason until I come home. When I return home after being gone for an extended period of time, he becomes my shadow.
And every night as I fall asleep, he is either snuggled between Jason and I, or draped over us, or against my available side, purring...

It's hard for me to imagine people that don't like animals. I love all my furry babies and I cringe at the thought of any animal being mistreated. The display of what I can only call 'unconditional love' is immense from these "less intelligent" creatures. Granted, the love is sometimes on the condition that they are fed... but I find it impossible not to care for them and love them right back.

I guess in a way, I've already become the crazy cat lady. My children are growing up so fast and it's inevitable that one day, I'll have only my cats (and Jason) to care for and look after. I guess it's a good thing I'm in a relationship with another softie.

However, I think four cats is plenty. More than plenty. I don't see adding to the mix any time soon. Besides, Benedick is still pretty sore about losing his 'only child' status. We now refer to him as "Grumpy Uncle Benny" around the house. He's the only cat I know that does tricks, which I think is awesome.

And on that note, I believe it is time for me to get my day started... I have a strict agenda which requires that I do not leave the house. I'm NOT a Black Friday fan and you probably couldn't pay me to contend with the crazed shoppers and insane traffic. I say probably, 'cuz I'm poor and most likely do have a price... but since no one is offering me money to go shopping today, I'm going to stay home and decorate the house with the kids. Take THAT consumer capitalism!! (Who am I kidding? I'll do most of my holiday shopping online and pay almost full retail price. Whatever. Don't judge me.)

Happy Thanksgiving and a very Happy Holiday season!!!