Maybe it`s a good thing I don`t have children

posted Sat, 30 Apr 2005

Joy has me pretty much convinced to get a cat. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve even tried it a couple of times in the past few years. But the cat I got three years ago was a long-haired stray someone volunteered for me. She (the cat) hid under the bed any time I was in the house. I didn’t mind so much about that – eventually, she would have warmed to me – but the fact that I had a splitting headache every single morning was a problem – and this was when I was taking claratin every day back when my doc thought my headaches were from allergies. Perhaps – but the claratin didn’t stop them. I need a short-haired cat.

I had two cats in Miami. These were the cats I got because I had rats. (And because I like cats.) The cat adoption lady who inspected my house before I was allowed to take the cats was horrified when I told her I expected the cats to kill rats. Excuse me. I have to work for a living. Why shouldn’t my cats?

This was when I was traveling a lot for my job. My neighbor’s teenage son Rudolf would feed the cats while I was gone. Not too much, I would tell him. They need to be hungry so they will hunt the rats and mice. The cats spent as much time with Mousson and Rudolf as they did with me, keeping their place rodent free as well.

But when I would return, there would be leftover food in the dish. Rudolf! I would say. Why is there still food?

“Zey cried! Zey were 'ongry!” he would tell me. “So I gave zem more food.”

Yeah, well, they are big fat liars, I would tell him.

These cats would also chase geckos around my duplex until they dropped their tails. Then they would kill them and eat everything except their heads. I would find little gecko tails and heads everywhere when I cleaned house.

I bought a litter box and other supplies last night. I went to the cat rescue place today and played with the cats, waiting for one of them to be The One. But none of them had that spark that O’Malley had. I think that has been my cat problem. I keep expecting all cats to have as much personality as O’Malley did. I want them to BE O’Malley.

Of course, I do not even own a houseplant. It might be that I have a slight problem with forming attachments – with making commitments. But I am getting closer!