Cats have a way of worming themselves into their owners’ affections. Those of us who live with these wily creatures find it difficult to understand others who don’t care for them.
I grew up knowing very little about cats, because my Mother was a “dog person.” I recall having a kitty for a pet for a short period in my childhood, but she was an indoor/outdoor cat and came and went as she pleased. One day she didn’t come home, and I was heartbroken.
I was a young mother with four young children when I next decided to get a cat. This was before it was considered a responsible act to spay or neuter your pets. Besides, we lived out in the country in Middle Tennessee, and no one worried about litters of kittens or puppies around. People also didn’t worry about keeping their pets indoors. Yes, I know now that it was irresponsible, but that was life in the early 1970’s in Tennessee.
One day, the children and I visited a local shelter and adopted a tiny kitten I named Zelda. (I had just read Fitzgerald and the tragic story of his wife captivated me.)
We were certain this little black and white bundle of fur would please Jim as much as she did the rest of us, but we were quickly disabused of that notion. My husband grew up with a father who truly disliked cats, and Jim always told me, “No Cats!” Of course, I didn’t listen and Zelda joined our growing brood. She and Clyde, the fawn Great Dane, became fast friends and entertained us all with their antics. Jim also grew to love the little tuxedo kitty.
Zelda was an indoor/outdoor cat, because that was all I knew. Life was good, and then Zelda delivered five little bundles of joy under my son’s twin bed one night. We moved mama and babies downstairs to the laundry room, which gave her access to the yard. She raised her babies with all the zeal a mama cat could muster, even putting Clyde in his place when he tried to help.
The kittens grew, and all but one were adopted by friends of our children. Zelda was very protective of her remaining kitten, and even Clyde liked to take care of the little guy.
One day, I pulled into the garage and found the little kitten hovering beside the slightly open door. Zelda was not around, and I knew something was very wrong. We searched for days but never found any sign of our cat. I knew she would never have willingly walked away from her baby, so it was obvious that an animal must have gotten her. Perhaps she led it off to protect her little boy. Whatever, Zelda was gone. Clyde was closed in another part of the house while I was gone, so he couldn’t have been involved.
In a time and place when most people in our area did not advocate keeping cats indoors, I learned the hard way to take better care of my kitty. It didn’t bring Zelda back, but I was never again so careless with a pet.
Our children are grown and gone, and my husband has become an avid cat-lover. At present, we share our lives with two felines. In our Florida home, Jim installed a swinging pet door in the back entry door, so that the cats would have free access to the screened lanai, but they were never allowed in the yard.
Cats are companion animals and belong in the house with their loved ones. Outside, they are subject to injury or death by other animals. Worms or other parasites can attack outdoor cats, causing all kinds of grief. The environment suffers from felines that roam free. They kill birds, defecate and urinate in flower beds and vegetable gardens, and their lives are greatly shortened.
A cat that spends its life indoors is a joy to own. You’ll gain a devoted companion, a clean animal, and find a great deal of entertainment in the games of a playful kitty.
Just be sure to spay or neuter your pet and keep it inside the house!
