I think it's safe to say that I do have a few talents in life. For instance, one of my greatest abilities is to adopt psychotic cats. In 1997, I oh-so wisely adopted a one-eyed, twice returned by other unsuspecting folks, BIG mouthed, dog-lovin', cat-hating, constipated, profusely shedding, black & white cat named Captain (get it? Captain....one-eye....). That cat drove me crazy, but I loved him so much & I still miss Captain Kitty.
After his passing, I seemed to feel the need to replace him...with zero success. Admittedly, I am attracted to the tuxedo variety. Don't ask me why; those guys have the loudest mouths. They just never shut up. However, as a glutton for punishment, I foolishly brought home a darling, little black & white monster....that my husband & I kept for a total of 72 hours. I don't know what he required mentally, but since I was not well versed in animal psychiatric assistance, I didn't feel I could properly provide what he needed. Case in point: he chewed his way out of the cardboard carrier, which I had placed in the back seat for the ride home, & within 2 miles that animal was sitting on my dashboard. So what, you say?...animals have teeth. Ok, another scenario for those doubtful subjects out there: in order to ease him into the transition of a new living environment, we kept him in our 3-season porch for the first 24-hours. We were in the living room when we heard the most horrific smash. Wondering what that could have been, I hurried to check on the new fuzzball. There he was, just a cat. No damage to see, just a cat & some furniture, as we had removed every other item from the room. I gave him a dose of welcoming reassurance & went back to my business. Moments later came the same startling sound. Again, back to check on the new inhabitant. Same scenario. Repeat one more time, & then I stayed put for a little spying. Discovery: that hairy little beast was managing to hurl itself against the windows 5 feet off the ground! Sparing you from other great detail on "Charlie's" (name hung on him post window incident, after Charles Manson. Read: insane) stay, after him you should know that we kindly sheltered a very plump, snotty, tortoise shell female by the name of Franny (i.e. Fatty Franny Bananny) & a smug, handsome, gray dude I dubbed Jasper.
In a nutshell, Franny moved to the very loving home of my 1st cousin once removed, where she is wholeheartedly spoiled. And, although I'm sure Jasper ended up in the right environment, we just couldn't keep him. He bit, & I had just found out I was pregnant.
Fast forward 7 years later, I thought it was time for the girls to have/grow up with an animal. Ok, TWO animals but they came as buddies, & they are a perfect fit for 2 young children. And so, Bo & Maxwell joined our household 3 months ago. Short of having to get rid of one of our plants, & a few hairballs on our carpet, things are going along smoothly. I despise the hair everywhere, but at least their shedding lessens at times. So I suck it up (literally & figuratively) for the sake of the girls to know the bond with an animal & have those memories as they age.
After his passing, I seemed to feel the need to replace him...with zero success. Admittedly, I am attracted to the tuxedo variety. Don't ask me why; those guys have the loudest mouths. They just never shut up. However, as a glutton for punishment, I foolishly brought home a darling, little black & white monster....that my husband & I kept for a total of 72 hours. I don't know what he required mentally, but since I was not well versed in animal psychiatric assistance, I didn't feel I could properly provide what he needed. Case in point: he chewed his way out of the cardboard carrier, which I had placed in the back seat for the ride home, & within 2 miles that animal was sitting on my dashboard. So what, you say?...animals have teeth. Ok, another scenario for those doubtful subjects out there: in order to ease him into the transition of a new living environment, we kept him in our 3-season porch for the first 24-hours. We were in the living room when we heard the most horrific smash. Wondering what that could have been, I hurried to check on the new fuzzball. There he was, just a cat. No damage to see, just a cat & some furniture, as we had removed every other item from the room. I gave him a dose of welcoming reassurance & went back to my business. Moments later came the same startling sound. Again, back to check on the new inhabitant. Same scenario. Repeat one more time, & then I stayed put for a little spying. Discovery: that hairy little beast was managing to hurl itself against the windows 5 feet off the ground! Sparing you from other great detail on "Charlie's" (name hung on him post window incident, after Charles Manson. Read: insane) stay, after him you should know that we kindly sheltered a very plump, snotty, tortoise shell female by the name of Franny (i.e. Fatty Franny Bananny) & a smug, handsome, gray dude I dubbed Jasper.
In a nutshell, Franny moved to the very loving home of my 1st cousin once removed, where she is wholeheartedly spoiled. And, although I'm sure Jasper ended up in the right environment, we just couldn't keep him. He bit, & I had just found out I was pregnant.
Fast forward 7 years later, I thought it was time for the girls to have/grow up with an animal. Ok, TWO animals but they came as buddies, & they are a perfect fit for 2 young children. And so, Bo & Maxwell joined our household 3 months ago. Short of having to get rid of one of our plants, & a few hairballs on our carpet, things are going along smoothly. I despise the hair everywhere, but at least their shedding lessens at times. So I suck it up (literally & figuratively) for the sake of the girls to know the bond with an animal & have those memories as they age.
Bo is a good buddy & absolutely in love with me. He must be so grateful to me for rescuing him. Maxwell is about as calm as they come and, well, a bit looney because of it. I mean, honestly, I have discovered that the animal likes to be vacuumed!!!! Hey, it's par for the course.
(left) Maxwell, age 3(right) Bo, age 4
No comments:
Post a Comment