An Ode to Cats

I am a certified crazy cat lady. I have always loved cats and have had a number of them in my lifetime. I grew up in the country and though we didn't have very much livestock, we always had lots and lots of cats. Here is a list of cats that have been special to me for one reason or another in my life:

Tigger

Tigger was the first cat I remember. I was about four when we had Tigger. Unfortunately, he ran away about the time my sister was born. I will always remember Tigger because one night when I tried to make him sleep with me, he scratched me between the eyes and left a scar near my right eyebrow that is still visible when I don't pluck my eyebrows!

Buttermilk

Buttermilk was a great big tomcat and he ruled our neighborhood. He fought a lot and one of his ears was partially ripped off. I wanted to call him Butterscotch, but was outvoted. Buttermilk ran away when we moved out to the farm. My old neighbors claimed that he had made the 8 mile journey back into town and prowled around our old neighborhood for years afterward.

Smokey

Smokey was a stray that I adopted. It was with Smokey that I witnessed birth for the first time. Smokey lived to be a very old cat and eventually all but one of her fangs fell out and her fur became bunny-soft.

Penny, Jake, Tumbleweed, and Lark

Kittens that I adored. Unfortunately, they didn't make it through more than one winter.

Panther

My all black tom cat. He wasn't a very big cat, but he was solid. He was a great mouser and one of the few cats my dad allowed indoors.

Little One

The only one of his November litter to survive through the winter. I babied him and Little One became one of the biggest tom cats I ever saw!

Olee

Olee was a gift from an ex-boyfriend. As a kitten she got her leg caught in a lawnmower and had to have it amputated. Twelve years later, three-legged Olee still lives with my mom.

Those were the cats of my youth and while I loved each and every one of them, I was never as attached to any of them as I am to the three that I have now: Mouse, Scooter, and Harley. I celebrate their birthdays in September and Mouse is now twelve years old, Scooter nine, and Harley three.

They have moved with me more times than I can count, they provide me with hours of entertainment, and make me feel better when I am down. They are spoiled rotten and are sometimes a huge pain in the ass, but I would be lost without them.

With the exception of Harley, I thought they were getting old until my neighbor lady informed me that two of her three cats are over 20 years old. It made me happy to think that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I could very well have them around for another 10 years!