I have always been a dog person...my boys on the other hand always prefered cats...so of course, we always lots a houseful of dogs and cats, and living together, and loving every minute of it....
When my younger boy moved out on his own, he got a great big silver Himalayan cat named Dizzy....by that time all of our cats had died, and so had the dogs, the last being my beloved basset hound, Helga...she died, at age 13, and broke my heart, I loved her so....she is buried out in the backyard, with all her animal pals in our little pet cemetary...
Now the house was empty feeling, my older boy having died from leukemia, my younger boy out on his own, and all my animal children now in the pet cemetary...
I was just going to get another basset, when my younger boy, decided to go around the world, and take a year to do it...so he asked me if I could take care of his beloved Dizzy cat...he knew I was not a cat person, and did not want me to say I would take his cat in, just because my son asked me to...but of course, I said yes, I would take Dizzy in....
And so I did...Dizzy was a skittish cat, and was terrified of being moved to a new place....but my son brought him down, hugged him and kissed him good bye, and took off on his trip....in the beginning, Dizzy would just hide all day long, coming out only to use the litter box, and eat and drink, and then would go back into hiding...but at nite, ,he would step out and run around the house, when he thought we were asleep..we used to laugh so, at how he thought he was tricking us....
But eventually Dizzy could no longer stand being without human contact...and so slowly he warmed up to us....did not take him long tho, once he realized we would love him, and hold him, and fuss over him, and spoil him rotten, if we were given the chance....we came to love that cat, and it really surprised us, as both me and the hubby are really dog people...
When my son returned from his round the world trip, I told him, you cannot have Dizzy back...he is happy, and healthy, and thriving with us, and we love him so much, it would break our hearts to give him...my son agreed...he saw how happy and contented Dizzy was...Dizzy was glad to see my son, but he was just as glad to stay with us...and so Dizzy was our 'boy'
My son lives about 70 miles from us, and whenever he came over to visit, the first thing he did, was look for his Dizzy....he just loved to come down, and see us, but we know the real thrill was to see his Dizzy again, and play with and spoil him...but he agreed, that we spent way more time with Dizzy, than the son did, as my son was always traveling, and going out, and the hubby and I were more sedentary, and had more time to spoil Dizzy...
We had Dizzy for several years, and like all animal friends, his time came to take up residence in our little pet cemetary...as he did with all our other dear animals, my hubby made a little coffin for Dizzy...I placed him in there, with one of his blankies, his paws wrapped around his toy mouse, and his pink grooming brush...and I put in a new bag of catnip...all my animals are buried with their favorite things...
I miss Dizzy, ,I miss him terribly...he unexpectedly stole my heart, something I never thought any cat would do...cats...dogs...horses...birds...they are so easy to love, and to give your heart to...and they give you back way more than you expected or deserved....these animals are Gods gift to us, to humble us, to remind us of the importance of loving something other than yourself...
I could barely stand as we read a poem over my kitty Purty's grave..I had grieved so over the cat before her that I was not going to have another but circumstances made her mine for several years and there I went again.I have never loved a kitty more.I miss her still.
A starving stray is my latest owner..She was so pathetic, sick and scared and my daughter insisted we take her in..tough to do as getting her in the house was a real trick,it took weeks, much less catching her and putting her in a carrier to go to the vet..
That was months ago and though she is not the cuddler like my other kitties, she is the class clown and gives endless entertainment..Go to the humane society and look for a new kitty..I was absolutely not going to do that..I guess God had to put that starving stray in my path to open me to the possibility of losing my heart again. I am thankful.