13 years ago I remember tiny balls of fluff: one yellow and the other silver. They played constantly with anything that moved. They chased their own shadows or sunshine coming through the patio doors or leaves moving outside. They were fascinated by the squirrels and dogs also outside but ready to play. They were adorable and we couldn't bring ourselves to give them away even to family.
Today, what a deal I would make you on those cats!! Free!! Not only free, but, with every cat item you can imagine ever needing. They have every shot the vet knows for cats. They have brushes, combs, nail clippers, toothbrushes, a scratching log, climbing walls, self-watering and self-feeding dishes, and toys (lots of toys). They have carriers as comfortable as First Class in any 747. They have beds with bedding Martha Stewart would approve. They have window seats to allow them a view while still being in air conditioning.
They don't have fleas, ticks, matted coats or any other negative features. They also don't have ...... An Exit Strategy. Why should they?
The vet tells us they could easily live another 10 years as they are in perfect health. Of course they are in perfect health! They are almost hermetically sealed in our house under temperature control at all times with a constant supply of easily accessed food and cool water. They sleep on our Queen size pillow topped mattress and 600 ct. Egyptian cotton sheets. They sleep there almost all day. They would sleep there at night also, but we run a fan whose breeze they cannot tolerate.
You might think that these domestic pets would be grateful. We thought they would at least be appreciative enough to let us do our things in what was once our home. We were wrong.....very, very wrong.
They express displeasure when we are gone to work or off for a weekend by urinating at the front door. What a joy it is... welcomed home by such an odor. We immediately forget about dinner or unpacking and start frantically searching for anything to clear the air. We clean the parquet with a special product, we spray the air with yet another product and we search the house for solid tokens of their displeasure.
Should we ever be so stupid as to bring members of another species into their house, we suffer similar treatments on an hourly presentation.
Why, you ask, do you put up with this? Why don't you just open the door and show them out .... right now? Are you crazy? I would never tolerate such creatures...not even for a few minutes.
Well, yes, we must be crazy. We still remember those sweet tiny fur balls. We loved them then and we still love them as adults. We love that Lumpy is more like a dog than a cat. He responds to a whistle and "begs" for food at the table. We love that Pepa wants to get her water from the bathtub faucet after the water runs long enough to be cool to her taste. We appreciate the rare, but thoroughly trashed, mouse whose tail may appear in the carpet or even on bed or couch. We appreciate that they are independent and don't need to be taken to kennels or require cat sitters.
Looking back on this, I am more certain than ever that we are crazy. We will be even crazier when we cry and are saddened by their deaths.......if We live that long.
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