When I Became a Crazy Cat Lady

I actually don't know at what point I crossed over from cat owner to Crazy Cat Lady. I have always loved cats, even though growing up we always had more dogs than cats. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and maybe if I lived in a house with a yard rather than a condo without one, I may even have a dog. But, I have always felt more of a connection with cats. As an adult I appreciate the fact that they are much lower maintenance. I only have to ask friends to pet-sit if I am going to be gone for more than two days. Two days or less and I can just make sure I leave out plenty of food and water and make sure they have clean litter boxes. I am sometimes asked to pet-sit for my friends that have dogs, which I am happy to do. It involves not only getting there to let them out by certain times, but also staying the night. When I see people in the winter out walking there dogs, I am again reminded how easy cats are.

I guess it first started when I was single and had two cats, Taz & Midnight. I had them for many years and they were awesome.

Taz (on left) & Midnight

I lost Taz first. He just curled up for a nap and never woke up. Midnight I had for a couple more years. Her loss wasn't as easy or swift. She had cancer, was treated and was good for almost a year before it came back. Before the cancer reared its head, I went to the local humane society, determined to get her a companion so she wouldn't be lonely. Three cats would be adopted that weekend. Two by me and one by a friend of mine. My intention was to only get one. Her name was Gretel. Her cage card said she was a member of the " Lonely Hearts Club" because she had been there a while. Well, that convinced me. While there a tiny little black kitten was meowing at me as loudly as he could and grabbing at me through the cage. Of course, I had to have him too. Because Gretel already had a name and because I can be a bit cheesy I named him, you guessed it, Hansel.

Hansel ( on right) & Gretel

So now I am a single woman with three cats. THAT is the moment I think I officially became a Crazy Cat Lady. Two is acceptable, three pushes you over the edge. When I got married in addition to a husband I got a fourth cat. Her name is Sophie. She thrived around the other cats, because she spent a great deal of time alone before.

Sophie

It wasn't terribly long after I married that I lost my sweet Midnight. Even though she had a nice long life it is never easy to lose them, especially when you have to make the decision that they have suffered enough. We were back to a three cat household. Interestingly, I never really had the Crazy Cat Lady stigma while I was married. I guess it only applies if you are a single female. We didn't remain a three cat household for long though. I made the mistake of going into a horrible, local pet store. I should have known better. I want to take home everything I see. My dream would be to have enough land and money to take in any abandoned, unwanted animals and give them a loving home at my animal  sanctuary. The day we went into a shop there were no cats or dogs except one. A tiny little white kitten. They hadn't even bothered to put a blanket or anything in the cage with him. He was just laying on the cold metal. They didn't know anything about him, didn't know if he was male or female (we found that out at the vet) and they wanted $80 for him. He is not a pure-bred, pedigree cat. He is just an American Long Hair. Money was very tight and we left that day without him. I was very upset. This was in late October or early November. I kept bringing up the cat. It was our first Christmas as a married couple, I asked my husband to please get me the kitten as my Christmas present. He did. His name is Jingles.

Jingles

Once again, we were a four cat household. Unfortunately, my marriage didn't last and my husband left. Sophie stayed. So just in case three cats as a single lady wasn't enough to push me into the Crazy Cat Lady realm, four most certainly did. One way to tell, is people start buying you cat related gifts. The picture frame that shows Hansel and Gretel is one. Here are a few others.

Cat themed gifts

I don't mind I like and appreciate all of them. Of course my cats are spoiled rotten with more toys than some children as well as scratching posts and cat towers. I talk to them, have given them nicknames, and when talking to them refer to my self as mama. I love that they greet me at the door when I come home. I love how different their personalities are. Something many " not cat people" assume is that cats are all  alike. That is not true.Every cat I have owned has had a unique personality and they have all been affectionate in their own way. So if I am a Crazy Cat Lady so be it, because they make my life better for having them and I absolutely adore them.