I Am A Proud New Kitty Mama

I have been telling myself ever since I got Roxy and Molly, "These are not your cats. These are someone else's cats you are taking care of." But you know what? When you have cats for a year those little sentences start to mean less and less.

So then I started griping about them leaving fur everywhere. I moaned about how they destroyed a 1920s dresser I have, and my Archie Bunker couch. They were heathens and a huge pain in my butt. Yeah, that didn't work either.

On the 4th the family who left the cats in my care came over to retrieve them. I had already put Roxy in a cat carrier as I knew she scampers when she hears folks coming in my gate. I had been crying all morning. I was going to miss what had become my babies. Babies who slept in my bed every night. I sat and talked to Roxy as she meowed unhappily from her kitty cage.

Gail and her daughter walked in and I tried to put on a brave face. I told them their kitties had been loved and I had become far more attached than I even thought imagineable. I am not a kitty person. I am a tough lady who loves nothing....grrrr! Tears welled up in my eyes again as I told them where Molly was and that I would help them get her.

Then Gail looked at me and said something to the effect of, "You know what? Cats aren't really loyal animals. They aren't even going to remember us. You love them. You can keep them." I said, "Really?????" I hadn't realized how much I wanted to hear her utter those sentences until I was hearing them. I didn't want to give these kitties back. I loved them, and I wanted them to stay with me. So that's what happened.

I told Gail they are welcome to come over whenever they like. I said since the kitties hid they could come over some Sunday and I'll make a marvelous dinner. Usually when people are over the kitties will slink out a few hours in to check out the company. I also told her if she changes her mind to just let me know. I know if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be able to let go of the kitties.

So I am now the proud new mama to two kitties. Kitties I can now say are my babies. Roxy is still huge at 20 some odd pounds, and Molly is still the mean girl who knows how pretty she is and attacks Roxy without provocation at times. Sometimes I'll hear a loud THUMP as Roxy jumps up on the kitchen counter to see if I've missed any morsels she can gobble. Sorry Roxy, you're in OCD clean lady's house. No crumbs for you here.

I am really happy that I get to keep the babies, at least for now. I mean, who could say goodbye to this face?