I have had at least one cat around for most of my life. Many were house cats, because I lived in the suburbs. They’ve been neutered males, they’ve been spayed females, and I’ve even had a couple of tomcats. Long hair, short hair, short tail, blue-eyed, Siamese looking, you name it, I’ve had quite the variety. The one thing they all have in common is that no one wanted them.
My first cat was born next door in my neighbor’s garage. He was black and white, and of course, needing a home. I called him Rocky. I don’t know what happened to his brothers and sisters but I am sure they were given away as well. Sadly, I had to leave him with my parents when I went off to the Air Force.
Later on in life, I found wild kittens, or I adopted cats from shelters. In recent years, a few cats have adopted me! Some were only with me for a short time, but they were all very much loved. Let me tell you about my current group of cats.
When my daughter was 8 years old, we moved to our current home. I had one cat who was getting on in years. I had found him wild, but he had bonded with me, so we wanted to get my daughter a kitten of her own. So we immediately went down to the local shelter to see their kittens.
The first kitten she fell in love with was a blue gray kitten of about 8 weeks of age. She was sweet and friendly. My daughter was struggling to name her, so she just settled on the name Gray. Gray lived in the house with us until she was about 3 or 4 months old and was able to climb trees (trees are apparently harder to climb than curtains). After she started living outside, she became quite the huntress. She is, without a doubt, one lethal kitty.
Next came the trio. A mama cat I named Juliet, decided to move into the barn with her 3 kittens. I adopted the three, but had to part with their mama because she was a kitten making machine. The kittens were born wild and it took me weeks to gain their trust, but I won them over. The calico I named Prissy. She was always too reserved to play, even if her brother and sister were playing with me. Prissy’s sister was orange and white, and I named her Coral. Coral is a very bright cat, and turned out to be the top cat when she grew up. The only brother I named Smudge. He is jet black and the epitome of a black panther; just a gorgeous cat to look at.
Next in line is Malibu. She showed up at the barn all by herself. She couldn’t have been more than seven or eight weeks old. It’s hard to tell if she was wild or just frightened. She hid under some pallets in the barn and wouldn’t come out very often. She was scared of everything that moved. I honestly believe that someone dumped her out of a car on our road, and she just followed our cats to our barn. Malibu is a long haired, short tailed torteshell. She never grew to be very big, but she is our resident prankster. She loves to surprise the other cats, or play with the horses’ tail; dogs too, may get messed with.
Then came Beau. He is a black and white cat with unusual markings on him. He was, I think, between one and two years old when he showed up at the barn. He was shy about being touched, but he was very vocal. I really did not need any more cats, but it was almost as if he was begging me to let him stay. He wants to be petted, but at the same time it kind of creeps him out. He displays strange passive/aggressive behavior with the other cats. I never knew animals could do that!
Lastly, there is Mickey. Mickey is a tomcat who wants nothing to do with any person. He lives mostly at our barn, and gladly eats our cat food, but seems to have indifference or almost distain for any person he sees. He is pretty rough looking most of the time, but I don’t believe that it is our cats he is fighting with. Our cats seem to have accepted his presence. I talk to Mickey every time I see him, hoping to break through whatever his bad experiences with people were. I have never been closer than 10 feet to him.
The thing that is most rewarding about having so many animals living together is that they all coexist in harmony. Cats, dogs, and horses live together without conflict and even enjoy each other’s company. Plus, I am as likely to be greeted by several cats, as well as dogs, upon my return home.
We have an unusual extended family, but I would have it no other way! Tell me about your animals.
Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
