Once There Was a Cat

I have a cat. Believe it or not... I do!


For as long as I can remember, I do not have any close affinity to cats... or any animal for that matter. They just give me this ickky feeling like I will have hairballs in my throat. Ha-ha! It's not that I have an aversion to cats. Let's just say that it's just a psychological dislike. Or some sort of disinclination because of stories I've heard and overheard as I was growing up -- that their pees and doodos are really stinky and that the stench doesn't go away . And then there was this experience where I saw this stray cat that my grandmother used to feed with rice and left-over fish bones -- he jumped at my aunt and scratched her. My grandmother said to never touch an animal when they're eating because they think that you are going to take the food away. Ahhh. Old wives tales. Or should I say old grammy tales.

Today, with all these tales of horror still in my mind, my cat sleeps with me! How could that be?
Well... There was once a cat that lived in my house. He was an old cat but he was kinda' chubby and cute. He was furry -- very furry like the ones you'd see in ads and calendars and such. But I didn't get comfortable holding him although he was gentle. The nearest I had come to holding him was to rub his head -- for no longer than 10 seconds. LOL.

Although at first I couldn't go near him to even pet him -- I was kinda' scared that he'd snap at me or something -- I had grown to like him. He was very subdued and quite slow, which could be due to his old age. The only time that I saw him jump and run away was when he heard the vacuum cleaner turned on. That was funny!

As the days went on, I had gotten accustomed to having him around the house. I'd come home and he'd be sitting in his litte corner -- under my computer table. One day I just noticed that he'd become more sluggish than he usually was. I am no cat expert, but I felt like something was wrong with him.
He was taken to the vet. Sure enough, he was sick. His old age could not handle his condition and its complications and his body had just given up. The vet's recommendation was to put him to sleep to end his suffering.
I felt a pang in my heart for the very first time. When I saw that he could barely lift up his head to acknowledge our calling out to him and stroking him as our last goodbye, I cried so hard that I was discomposed. Only then had I realized how attached I had become to him... but he had to go. We had to let go.

My heart was heavy as I felt the loss.

Soon thereafter, I found myself looking through pet adoption centers. I don't know. Maybe I wanted to re-live the feeling of having a little shadow follow me around.

And so after endless searching (and learning more about adopting cats and stuff) we found this frisky kitten at a PETCO store who wouldn't stop playing with this run-down feather. She is white with some black patches all over her body. I took an instant liking to this little monster and took her home that same day. Her given name was Stella -- but I changed it to Taylor! (By the way, prior to acquiring Taylor, my daughter found a cat for herself -- whom I christened as Stinky, Rusty, and whatever name that came to my mind at that time that reflects its personality. And then, there was a Siamese cat that I impulsively adopted. Don't ask me why).

So now, my house is a zoo! I got three cats and a dog, and heaven knows what else lurks in my backyard -- squirrels, rabbits, etc. LOL. I don' t know why (as usual) why I had added three more little mouths to feed, but they are all cute to look at, especially when they play... and that kind of gives me a sense of belonging because they follow me around.

And because Taylor is my "own" pet, of course, she gets the special treatment. I allow her to get on my bed and snuggle with me. She sniffs me before settling for sleep, with her little paws touching my hair, my forehead, my hand... or any part of my body as long as she is close to me. She answers me with with her screechy little meows whenever I call her name.

I must confess... she is a joy to behold.
And that is the story of my cat. The end.