Gone Soft
I don't know if it was Nate's puppy-dog-eyed pleading or Addison's shrieks of laughter that did me in, but I am done in. We own a cat.
I don't even like cats. I am scared of them, admittedly. We had several cats over the years while I was growing up, and between them and every other cat I have ever come into contact with, there is a grand total of one that hasn't been mean. (Her name was Minnie. May she rest in peace.) All other cats are big jerks that eat your food, shed all over the place, and bite and scratch on a whim. And it's not a fleeting pain they inflict upon you (I'm speaking physically here, we're not even going to enter the emotional realm.) Nate's psychotic cat scratched him the last time we were in St. George and it's probably still not healed.
I might've considered a cute little kitten in a cardboard box at WalMart, but big cats and I do not get along. Conveniently, however, the lady who lived here before us took it upon herself to tender-heartedly feed every stray cat within a 20 mile radius, and she was kind enough to leave their bowls, leftover cat food, and a long list of instructions for us. She mentioned perhaps coming back to pick one up, so any hope of starving them until they stopped coming around was dashed.
So to make a long story short, I think it became official when I spent $4.15 to buy a new bag of cat food last week.
But let the record reflect: she is on probation. The first time she so much as grinds her teeth or shows a claw, she will find herself in orbit around the earth. If Addison is within a mile of her when it happens, she'll become the new Pluto. If I find any little piles of stink in our yard she will find them in her food dish the next day. If she sets a toe in the house she (and her accomplice as the case may be) will be swiftly kicked to the moon.
That said, her name is Athena. She's solid black with yellow eyes and is very beautiful. She is a purring machine and loves to be petted. Today she curled up next to a blanket Addison and I were sitting on in the yard and just purred and purred while Addison laughed at her every move and (with help) petted her fur.
I don't even like cats. I am scared of them, admittedly. We had several cats over the years while I was growing up, and between them and every other cat I have ever come into contact with, there is a grand total of one that hasn't been mean. (Her name was Minnie. May she rest in peace.) All other cats are big jerks that eat your food, shed all over the place, and bite and scratch on a whim. And it's not a fleeting pain they inflict upon you (I'm speaking physically here, we're not even going to enter the emotional realm.) Nate's psychotic cat scratched him the last time we were in St. George and it's probably still not healed.
I might've considered a cute little kitten in a cardboard box at WalMart, but big cats and I do not get along. Conveniently, however, the lady who lived here before us took it upon herself to tender-heartedly feed every stray cat within a 20 mile radius, and she was kind enough to leave their bowls, leftover cat food, and a long list of instructions for us. She mentioned perhaps coming back to pick one up, so any hope of starving them until they stopped coming around was dashed.
So to make a long story short, I think it became official when I spent $4.15 to buy a new bag of cat food last week.
But let the record reflect: she is on probation. The first time she so much as grinds her teeth or shows a claw, she will find herself in orbit around the earth. If Addison is within a mile of her when it happens, she'll become the new Pluto. If I find any little piles of stink in our yard she will find them in her food dish the next day. If she sets a toe in the house she (and her accomplice as the case may be) will be swiftly kicked to the moon.
That said, her name is Athena. She's solid black with yellow eyes and is very beautiful. She is a purring machine and loves to be petted. Today she curled up next to a blanket Addison and I were sitting on in the yard and just purred and purred while Addison laughed at her every move and (with help) petted her fur.
YAY MICHELLE! my luv for you has grown even more now!!! ha ha jk i already luvd you more than possible. =]
ReplyDeletein response to your comments, it's 'cause i can't have 'em either. so we shall suffer together.
& i might take ya up on the pink dress idea. mwahaha.
xo
Wow, that's really brave of you. I (as my husband knows and is much disappointed about) will never let us own a cat. Or a dog (which he isn't upset about). Or an anything. Maybe a goldfish since they thrive on neglect or else die very quickly. I just can't get over the yuckiness of fur everywhere and that they're dirty and smelly, etc. *shudder*
ReplyDeletethat cat looks just like a cat i found right before i moved into sparks. my sister took it, it had kittens, my mom took one of the kittens, and that cat has proceeded to have THREE batches of kittens while the original mum had another two batches... to make a long story short, i used to love cats. that's why i picked up the original one. but now i've witnessed so many litters of kittens i may never have a cat again... depsite how cute they are when they're little. and the fact that my husband is VERY allergic. cute post. you're such a good writer. :)
ReplyDeleteso cute!! I am jealous, I would love a kitty, but as my husband hates them and several of his family members are very allergic it is a no go. Now I keep trying to convince Curtis that puppies are good too...
ReplyDeleteYou (Michelle) don't know me, but I was good friends with Nate in High School and have been enjoying your blog for a while. I have to say I share you "love" of cats (plus I'm allergic to them), and feel that they are much more loveable outside:) Your kitty is very pretty though....
ReplyDeletesoftie! yeah to find your blog! i hope things are going well in the new house. i'll come see it when i head back up north (next week) i'll be up north from the 30th to the 5th before i go to arkansas so maybe we can have a date :) i think it's a good idea to have cats. they're cute, cuddly and will kill mice.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous!! I love kitties :-) too bad jon is really allergic... looks like i'll just have to vacuum 2x a day when we get one (like years from now):-) hehe...
ReplyDelete