My Cats
I've
had 5 cats - so far. Stinky, Snow Kitty, Emmy Lou, Peepers & Cat.
Stinky
Stinky came from a "stinky" pet shop. My roommate, Pat, & I stopped there one eve on the way home from work just to look at the pets. That's when I saw this grey & white kitten about 6 wks old. I said something about wanting to have a pet like that. We looked around a while & then walked home.
A few weeks later I had been home from work for a day or two with the flu & was still in bed when Pat came home with the kitten. As she put him down beside me, she said "I hope this makes you feel better".
This was 1962 or 63
For Fun
I only had this great cat for a few years. I never had a cat before & knew absolutely nothing about how to take care of him.
I think he was only about 12 weeks when he came to live with me. I didn't know a cat needs toys so he had none. Often, on nice warm days, I would leave the windows open. The breezes would blow the curtains & guess who said "Oh Boy, what fun , finally something to play with! " He managed to shred the bottom of all my floor length curtains. That's when he became a declawed cat. I knew nothing about cutting his nails or scratching posts.
About the same time another problem was growing - litter box order. My apartment was awful. When I'd come home after work, the order would about knock me over. My Aunt suggested neutering might help. Even that didn't do any good. So I lived with the odor.
I started dating the man who I later married. Stinky was VERY jealous ! When he heard the outside door shut & a man coming up the stairs to our door, he would leave the comfortable spot on my lap & crouch by the door. The minute Andy would set foot inside the door, Stinky would bite him on the ankle. This went on for a year or so until Andy & I decided to move in together. That meant that my furry friend needed a new home.
I had an insurance man who just loved this cat so I gave him a call to see if he might be interested in taking Stinky. He was more than happy to take my baby. Unfortunately a few years later he called me, saying he was no longer able to keep the cat & could I take him back. By then I was married & Andy wouldn't have a cat in the house so I had to say no.
When I think back now, my heart breaks wondering what happened to this neat cat. If only I had known what I know now, I could have taken so much better care of him & then found him a good home if needed.
I guess we live & learn but I didn't really start learning until after Andy died in 1978 & I went to work for a Vet & started making a lot of new friends. Now I'm 75 & it's been in just the last 10 years that I've finally figured out how to handle most of life's problems.