First, a rediculously long story, feel free to skip to the end for pictures if you wish.
I used to hate cats. As far as I was concerned they belonged in the barn catching mice and as long as they didn't bother me we could live in peace. I didn't want them climbing on me and I certainly didn;t want the disgusting things in my house climbing on my counters and tracking smelly cat litter through my house. Stuck up little evil furry killing machines with razors on their feet were NOT my idea of a "good pet".
Then one day shortly after my ex left I was out in the big barn putting together my daughters christmas gift, a trampoline, when I heard this pitiful sound and turned around to find what looked like a dead cat that just hadn't had the decency to fall over yet. She was this mostly 'white with tabby patches' colour and was the skinniest animal I have ever seen that was still alive. One side of her head was swollen and covered in scabs. I knelt down and said, "here kittykittykitty" and she RAN to my lap and curled against me purring her little heart out.
I fed her some canned dog food and made a bed for her in the barn (that is where cats belonged, remember?).
So christmas came and my daughter came out into the barn where I sat on her new trampoline with Lash (I'd officially named her "Her Royal Highness The Lady Lash Wippletree") on my lap still looking like death walking and covered in scabs and she blurted out, "You got me a cat for christmas??" then after a long pause, "Mom, did santa bring you a trampoline?"
That very night a huge storm hit, and I heard this sound outside the window. Lash was sitting there looking at me pitifully and meowing. *guilt* I moved to the other room... looked up to see her green eyes peering in at me... meowing... My daughter with her huge blue eyes looked at me and said, "Mom, she is cold, can we let her in the house?" *sigh* She'd already been to the vet (it looked to the vet like someone had kicked her in the head and shattered her facial bones, her face was always lopsided) and was free of diseases and worms so... I let her in and for the next 4 years she never even so much as tried to slip out the door.
This cat was absolutely everything I thought cats were not, loving, gentle, affectionate...
the next thing you know, I was getting a reputation as the lady who rescues cats. One cat i took in was hugely pregnant, and around the same time I took in some orphan kittens. When they were all ready to find new homes a retired couple came to look at the kittens and fell in love with lash instead. I didn't want to let her go, but they were the perfect home for her so off she went. I knew that having a home where there was always a lap to sleep in would be better then our crazy cat house where she had competition for lap space. She has been living there in bliss ever since and it is all her fault that I am now CRAZY about cats.
I haven't been able to afford to do rescue the last several years but I still have 6 of my former "rescue" cats that i couldn't bear to rehome. I look back at how much I used to hate cats and I laugh at myself. I went from "Pony hates cats" to "Talk to Pony, she is like a crazy cat lady, if she can't help you she knows who can..."
So now that I have bored you to death with my long story, here are my precious crazy kitty cats:
Pet name:Amber
Pet age:7
How long you've owned the pet:My husband adopted her from the animal shelter about 6 years ago. She is too smart for her own good. We try very hard to keep her happy because if you annoy her she selectively urinates on the treasured belongings of whoever has peeved her off. I adore this cat, she is a real character.
Pet name:Mouse (grey and white) and Mira (grey)
Pet age:5
How long you've owned the pet:5 years. Mouse and her sister Mira were found in our old carriage house when their stray mom got hit by a car while moving her newborn litter. They were so young that their umbilical cords were still wet. We thought they were dead
when we found them but then when we picked them up to go bury them one of them moved. They were very cold so I dropped them in to my cleavage to warm them up safely and we bottle fed them for two weeks until a rescue cat I had birthed a litter and stole
them from us.
Pet name:Kona (black) and Irvine (grey)
Pet age:4
How long you've owned the pet:4 years. These were also left abandoned in our carriage house by a stray. They were just opening their eyes. We found Kona and then a neighbor found irvine three days later. Both were infested with fleas, Irvine was almost dead from 3 days with no food or shelter. We bottle fed them until weaning age. They more then made up for their rough start in life, Irvine now weighs 22 pounds.
Pet name:Tux
Pet age:5
How long you've owned the pet:Tux is a bobbed tail cat. he is 5 years old. Tuxedo cat was one of the kittens from a rescue cat's litter. I just fell in love with his beauty, not realising that he is a complete *****. I love him anyway, even though I have easily $2500 invested in emergency medical bills because of his stupidity. All of my cats are indoor only and yet this goofball somehow manages to almost kill himself on a regular basis. he is also the loudest and most persistent cat i have ever known. Anyone who thinks cats are quiet animals has never met this loud mouth.
We have too many cats, especially considering we recently had to leave our big house and move into a tiny single wide trailer... but I can not bear to part with any of them, they are happy and healthy and loved, but I won't be doing any more rescue or taking in any more cats until we are down to one or two of our own. I have to remind myself of that so I don;t cross into "scary crazy cat lady" territory. We are able to properly care for the ones we have but no more. I just can't imagine how I spent my days before we had them.
