When I tell people that I have cats, they immediately assume that I don't like dogs and that could be farther from the truth. I adore all animals. My family introduced a kitten to us as our first pet. We always had a cat in the house. The one time we didn't have one, I was gifted the sweetest guinea pig in the world. I named him Fred and he was my best friend for 5 years.
Once I moved away from home after high school, I moved in with my boyfriend and he had adopted a tabby kitten for us named Bailey. I had her for 17 years and miss her terribly. A few years later, and a new boyfriend, Bartelby came into my life. Yes, another kitten gifted from a completely different person! He was my buddy for 20 years. I wish he was still here. I think about him every single day. He passed away a few months ago. It was the hardest passing of a pet that I have ever experienced. I know that I am continuing to process his loss. I don't believe I will ever get over not having him around.
The last year of his life, I adopted a beautiful calico that I named Fiona. She was a street cat that I had been taking care of for a long time. I noticed that she was not looking too good and I was able to get her to a vet. She was a mess! Fleas, ear mites, dehydrated, and all of her teeth were rotten. Poor thing. Fiona really wanted to cuddle with Bartelby, but he remained a stubborn old man until the end. He would tolerate her addition to our family and allow her to sleep next to him. Other than that, they unfortunately did not become cuddly babies at the end.
If it wasn't for Fiona's love, I don't know how I would be able to cope with his loss. She has grown fat and sassy. She seriously cracks me up ever single day. Even though she lost almost all of her teeth, she still has one big canine left on the bottom. Sometimes it gets stuck on her upper lip and it looks like she is snarling at you! I included a photo of it below so that you could see exactly what I mean.
Fiona!
Look at her sweet face! She has saved my heart from completely crumbling and she doesn't even know it.
Why cats? They have provided me love, affection, and comfort my entire life. They are smart, silly, and rambunctious. They are beautiful, elegant, and sweet.
I love them!