El gato

I've been musing upon things that I see in my house. My latest thoughts are on my cats. This may be incredibly boring to the 2 of you who actually check in to see if I have any new thoughts but this is my blog so suck it up.

I have three cats: Countess, Domino and Ninja. These three are as different as three children could be but each one also represents some aspect of my life, the point where they entered my world.

Countess is my baby girl. She has been with me since she was 6 months old and I was freshly turned 21. She filled a spot in my life when I was reeling from bad choices, a horrific breakup and was feeling suicidal. I knew I needed something to come into my world that was settling/calming and so I got a cat. Well, she technically was a replacement cat. The first cat I adopted was a freak who hid under the bed and never came out. Literally never. Returned that nutcase and saw this adorable little kitten. She seemed so sweet and I took her home and named her Countess. This little miss priss gave me a serious run for my money. She looked like a diva from the front but when she walked away, she had this swagger in her step that reminded me of a linebacker. She used to sit in top of the fridge and jump off onto my head. She would climb the window screen in the middle of the night, a repeat action that resulted in being declawed. She has been with me for over 13 years, multiple moves, several cities. She let me squeeze her when my daddy died. She was the only animal in my house that Mike never hurt, I think he knew he'd "disappear" if he ever hurt her. She is the queen of my house and represents so many happy, sad and bittersweet moments in my life.

Then along came Domino. She is fat (we're talking a waddle that swings when she runs), has a wonky eye, lost her mother as a newborn kitten and her nose runs whenever you pet her. We originally took her in when Toby was a few months old. Something insane about Countess needing a friend. First of all, Countess does NOT need friends. Secondly, if she were to pick a friend, it would not be this simple minded animal! To Domino's credit, she ADORES Toby. She lets him lay on top of her, every morning when I open his door, she is the first one to jump on his bed. After Mike and I split, I renamed her Domino. She has these spots on her chest and her nose and they remind me of a domino. Everytime I look at her I sing the chorus from the Van Morrison song.

As I start worrying about Countess' age and the thought that she might leave me soon, I decided it was time to bring in a younger cat to carry on the cycle. Soooo, along came Ninja. Big Mistake! This cat is worse than the worst puppy you will ever encounter. He eats shoes. He steals toys. He fights with the other cats and climbs the curtains. He's actually a younger version of the hell Countess put me through but without the 13 years of forgetting the behavior. He is sweet and loving and stupid and destructive. Most of all, he adores me.

Every one of these animals represents a period in my life, a moment that for better or worse that I cherish because it helped shape me into the person I am today. I look at these cats and I think of 13 years down the road when my son will be a teenager. How many people and animals will have come in and out of our lives in that length of time? Where will we be living? What kind of man will he be growing into? Funny how you can look at a cat and see your past and that it can make you ponder your future!