What do I love about cats? Absolutely EVERYTHING!! I grew up on a farm after all. For generations on either side we have been lover of this ferocious feline having at least several to keep us company. Well on the farm these cats were pretty much feral and they weren’t really ever supposed to be allowed inside. Cats were mousers, versatile enough to live outdoors and if they failed to come home one day that was simply natures way.

There is no excitement like spotting a fresh litter coming out of the wood pile. A mother’s extinct was always to try and tuck them away. Once we noticed that there was kittens to play with we would throw the wood out of my Dad’s shed quicker than anybody could tell us no or have their say. I don’t know if it was luck when we finally caught one of those kittens. There tiny razor blade claws would shred us right up sending us crying to our mom. When it comes to cats it was like every toy coming to life and I needed to love them all and hopefully save them one day.

Well, until we had to take our first animal to the vet to have them put down. I was so mad. What was the point in taking them there if they couldn’t be saved? In my mind that is not why I wanted to become one. I wanted to save them all and in the absence of being able to do so I decided to live a different way.

At first I became self absorbed. Believing that my life was something special and that I should conduct myself in such a way I decided to give away my pets and live an obstinate life. Well that is what the partners in my life would have me believe. What they wanted me to believe. I can’t believe how many partners out there wanted me to choose them over my beloved cats.

At 28 the men that I had found were all allergic to my feline friends. Well I only had two and as times got tough I began to believe what all those pet haters were trying to get me to believe and say. Nobody in the lower mainland would rent to a gal with two cats. Maybe that should have been my first sign to get out of dodge and never look back.

The fact that Egyptians regarded this species so highly is something that has always captivated me. Add in the coveted 9 lives that we all believe cats have and you will see the connection they have to the afterlife. I know I have mentioned this several times but it has long been recognized that a cat’s purr is the same radio frequency that a human needs to heal. Think about what that can do for one mentally. Let serenity now enter your brain and begin to seep right in.

Even consider that Cleopatra rocked a cat eye. What do you think that could possibly all mean? They say cats have a sixth sense when evil comes to town just look at how in certain people’s presence they just scamper away. Of course they have an ability to connect with the unknown. Why do you think they keep to themselves and look for the best to come out of everyday. All they do is lounge, sleep, eat, play and even terrorize. They definitely have “purr”fected how to get the best out of everyday.

There are cat people and there is dog people and in my life they both have an equal place. Dog’s are your loyal companion, your ride and die’s but it is the kitty I find to have the power to ease my mind. They don’t say much and all they pretty much do is exist. What I love about my cats in particular is they are always around when they are needed most. It is like they know that they are here to provide comfort and to let us know that they appreciate our efforts. What I love about the 9 kitties that love with me is that they are all so unique and have their own story. Just like me they were deemed by society to no longer be good enough. My longest being Todd who was abandoned in an apartment in Calgary downtown. His owner moved in with a girl who was allergic to cats. You see the devil makes life uncomfortable not just for you but even for me.

My cats know all of my secrets and they have been yet to judge. They spend just as much time with me here in these four walls, in fact I think that they spend even more. I can’t let them outside because I am too scared of what other people may do. The thought that I am going to have to eventually lose each one 9 times over makes me sick and brings an acid burn to my tongue.

What these beautiful animals teach me is it is ok to take one day as it comes in turn and all in good time. That nothing is promised or even guaranteed but as a family we can try our best to chase those storm clouds away. We all mourn when we lose one but we remind each other of how much we are worth. Good times come to those who are able to sit down and appreciate them instead of rushing off to who knows what with who knows who.

This house has become my temple as I learn to live my life in a much simpler way. All I worry about is how can I provide more for the ones I love, ensuring that they can feel the love that I feel. Without there presence I become nothing and together we all become one. We learn the best from each other as life happens and know in our hearts this is where love will always end and begin again.