Felines
Purring fur babies
Eowyn
Nose-to-nose "I love you's"
Oreo
Think teenage girl with whiskers & paws
Johnny
12lb nighttime bed walker
Cats... What can I say?
Growing up, I had an unprovoked dislike for cats. I have no idea why, no reason no rhyme, no logic. I was not until I was in my 20's when I realized that they were not so bad. However, at that time, I did have a mild allergy to them, so I made it a point to stay away from them and houses that had them.
During my 1st marriage, a cat, later to be named "Jasmine" was brought home (without consulting me 1st). This would lead to the 1st cat that I had ever kept in my house. oddly enough, my allergies seemed to be null with Jasmine. Eventually, she migrated to being an outside cat, disappearing for days on end, eventually to where she simply moved on.
I never gave much thought to another cat until my family rescued two (tiny) kittens from the middle of the road (yes, the yellow line). These two would eventually be named Eowyn (from the Lord of the Rings) and Oreo (simply because every black & white cat has to be named Oreo). These two were sisters (inferring from them being together when they were so tiny). Eowyn quickly stole my heart and would prove to be a loyal lap partner and the giver of "noseys" for years. Oreo has the attitude of a teenage girl; sometimes she loving and other times she hisses at you when you smile at her. All in all, they both brought personality diversity to the house.
The Kitten fiasco ...
What started as two rescue cats, turned into a fiasco, a clowder, a glaring if you will. After being inside cats for all of their life, they began wanting to go outside more and more. Hourly treks turned into overnight missions, which led to the aforementioned fiasco. Not one, but BOTH cats became pregnant at the same time. What was once two was now 10!
We managed to find homes for most of them, however, three of them stayed on as additional members of the family (Mushroom, Johnny and Skinny). I took 6 cats to the spay and neuter clinic at one time. I had only 6 vouchers at the time and could not afford the out-of-pocket expense for the other 4. But, as luck may have it, you guessed it, Mushroom was knocked up not once, but twice! More kittens!
At the end of the day, we still have 10 cats. Johnny and Orero are the only two that are allowed in the house. The others are outside furries, some of which are strays from the neighborhood. No, I don't want that many cats, but have you ever tried to find homes for kittens? It's almost impossible. The thought of a shelter saddens me, and I could not condemn a living creature to that kind of fate. So, for now, when you walk onto my yard, you will be glaring at a glaring, glaring back at you...