My Little Boys

I have a cat.  I have a cat.  I say it twice because I have two of them but fear the stigma of a single lady with cats.  I am an animal lover, so it's not a surprise I would have pets.  Sadly, I do not have a dog for many reasons, most importantly that I take care of other people's dogs.

In college I lived with two girls who quit talking to each other, and my room was literally in the middle.  It was a sticky and awkward situation, so my boyfriend at the time bought me a cat.  I knew we were meant to be together when I took him to my grandmother's house that night.  He followed me through the courtyard,  then later went to the bathroom on the food from the animal shelter because there wasn't a litter box.  He looked just like one I had but recently lost.  I went to a therapist years and years ago who suggested I get a pet, and once I did I saw what she meant.  Pets love us no matter what, they are always happy to see us and they make for great companions.  There's an unconditional love that comes with a pet.

I named the cat Jaco (pronounced like "jock-o") after a french musician, Jaco Pastorius, and my living situation immediately improved.  Over the years, Jaco has run off or accidentally been shut in a closet, but he's still kicking after nine years together.  On trips home from Waco he would sit on my left shoulder and look out the window.  The night before I left for a summer in Spain I couldn't find him anywhere and started to get a little concerned.  I couldn't go to another country without knowing where he was!  I went outside and shook kitty treats, looked under beds and couches, eventually completely losing all control of my emotions.  I was bawling, freaking out.  After two hours I still didn't know where he was, but then I heard the faintest meow sound.  So I started saying his name, we were playing Jaco Meow.  "Jaco?" "Meow."  "Jaco?"  "Meow."  When I was getting a suitcase out of a hall closet he ran in and was then shut inside for hours.  It still happens quite frequently, even after all this time--he's a quick son of a gun and he blends in with his surroundings!!!

Over three years later I got a call from a friend telling me her dad found a kitten and would I want him?  My immediate reaction was "HELL NO."  But, I believe that our pets pick us, because I couldn't get him out of my mind.  So I called her back hours later and told her I had changed my mind.  That is how Miles came into my life.  Jaco growled and sniffed and hissed for the first afternoon Miles was with us, but then they became best friends.  As much as I don't like having more than one cat, I can't imagine my life without them. I can't lie, at times I fear I am like this:

That's right.  It's a crazy cat lady action figure.

But here's the thing: I'm NOT a cat lady.  In fact, I am not crazy about most cats.  Feral cats scare the Hell out of me, and my parent's cat has less than amorous feelings towards me.  I like MY cats.  They are a bit like dogs, if you can believe it.  Miles snores, and I think it's the cutest thing in the world.  He also snuggles, just as lots of dogs I stay with do.  They both come when I call them because they know their names.  They never meow unless they are trying to communicate something, such as needing food or being stuck in a closet.  Miles licks my hand and Jaco is always at the door when I come home.  

They are soft, sweet, stereotypical cats, and I love them to death.  They make me feel better when I'm sad and they can be extremely entertaining; a piece of string goes a long way.  They crack me up, too.  I leave my bedroom door cracked open so they can come and go.  One day I was watching TV and my bedroom door swung open, then drifted back to its original position.  Again, the door swung open and then fell back.  I started dying laughing watching the door open and then close, open and then close, and each time I could see Miles' little face trying to get a peek of what's going on.  I find them in funny places, like when Jaco curled up in the clean sheets on top of the dryer:

And I could barely control myself when Miles got some paper stuck on his tongue:

Miles has had a couple injuries over the years, and the vet is always amazed at his resilience.  He seems to be the only one who doesn't know something is wrong with him, like when he got an eye infection.  Although, a few months ago he had to wear a doughnut around his neck and it was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen.  When I lost my job he had it on for some precautionary measures, and just as I began to think I was going to be OK I'd see his squished face with the ridiculous blown up inner tube and lose it completely all over again.

They are seriously low-maintenance and sleep 23.5 hours a day.  When Gracie (the Cocker Spaniel love of my life) was living here, it was not all sunshine and roses.  Gracie was too hyper and too eager for them.  They are a lot like me--they prefer to stroll around at their own pace.  Just don't act surprised when I tell people "I have a cat."  It's true, I do have a cat, I just don't like to use the plural version.