Two tabby kittens walking close to each other on some grass, their tails crossing to shape a heart. To the right of them is a field of red poppies.
File ID 196791686 | © Natalia Bachkova | Dreamstime.com

Pets are part of our families; they contribute to our mental well-being. If you are an empty nester, they can help fill the void left behind by our adult children who were eager to strike out on their own. Granted, sometimes pets can cause us stress (just like our kids), but when I sit down to read at night and they take turns on my lap, purring up a storm, all seems right with the world.

Supposedly, a cat’s purr can reduce stress and promote healing, not only in themselves but also in their humans. They can also sense when you are not okay. I will never forget when I was crying after I had returned home from putting my mom to rest in Germany and my little black cat, Ben, came up to me, putting her tiny paw on my arm, looking up at me with her big yellow eyes. She knew I was not okay. Having her and her brother by my side while grieving for my mother was a great comfort. 

Stuffed Pets

Two stuffed animal cats sitting next to each other

If someone would have told me twenty years ago this was going to be the case, I would have thought them to be crazy. I was not raised with cats, or any pets for that matter. The only animals my siblings and I ever had were stuffed. Like so many kids we each had a favorite animal. I liked cats. 

“I’m Not a Pet Person”

Despite always liking cats, it never crossed my mind to get one. Being a bit of a neat freak, I didn’t want cat hair everywhere. When friends were trying to find homes for kittens or puppies, I would tell them I wasn’t a pet person. And when my cousin showed photos of his cats at a family reunion the way I showed pictures of my kids, I chuckled, thinking he was nuts. 

The Universe Knows Best

But the universe knows what’s best for you and sometimes brings you what you didn’t know you needed. When I was in my mid-forties, staying at my boyfriend’s house in Tennessee, a stray cat had kittens in an old broken-down truck in his barn. We kept an eye on them since it was early April and still cold out. 

One morning, we found that the mom had moved her kittens and left one behind, a tiny black one, barely a week old with its eyes still closed. We waited, thinking mom would come back to get it. When we couldn’t wait any longer, we brought it into the house. I learned how to bottle feed and care for it  and, after the vet told us it looked like it might be a boy, named it Ben. 

Cat Hair in My Tea

Soon after, we found the other kittens. Only days after that, the mom didn’t come back. Suddenly, we had four more kittens, three black ones, and a tiny timid tabby. By this time, I had become very attached to Ben, who, by the way, turned out to be a girl. We found good homes for the black ones and kept the timid tabby so Ben wouldn’t be alone. We named him Bobbesy. Cat hair everywhere suddenly didn’t seem so bad. After a while, I even stopped fishing it out of my tea. 

Then, my human relationship came to an end. That was the first time my cats helped me through a tough time. It wouldn’t be the last. I had always thought one cat was like the next; I had never given much thought to their personalities. I quickly learned that each one is unique with his or her own quirks, just like us humans. 

Ben Girl

Ben was a quiet girl, except when a fly or some other insect buzzed through the house. Then she would chatter up a storm and relentlessly chase after it. She liked being up high; she was agile, a runner, and a jumper, frequently hanging out on the top of the kitchen cabinets. Never weighing more than seven pounds, there wasn’t a nook or cranny she couldn’t squeeze into. And she loved sticking her head into the shopping bags after I got home from the grocery store to see if I had brought her something. When I’d take an afternoon nap, she’d immediately leave her spot to come and join me. Above all, though, she was stubborn. There was no convincing or coercing her into something she did not want to do, like eating wet food.

Bobbesy

Her brother Bobbesy is a scaredy cat, who doesn’t like going up high and frequently hides under the bed. He is clingy and a bit of a Mr. Whine-a-lot, often trying to wrap me around his striped little paw to get his way. He insists I join him when he drinks from his water fountain, making little grunting noises until I pretend to oblige. I can’t be done drinking before he is, though, or we have to start over. On warm summer evenings, he loves to doze on the balcony in the window boxes planted with cat grass. And at night, at 4:00 am sharp, he climbs on top of me to continue resting until it is time to get up.  

Maja Bean Purrsnickety

Maja Bean Purrsnickety? Well, where do I start? I adopted her in July of 2023 when she was two months old. Raising her has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I never knew that cats go through a ‘teenager phase’. Now that we are through that phase and she’s calmed down somewhat, I can say it is an apt description. I am not sure if it is more stressful to raise human kids or furry kids. 

At a year old, Maja has developed her personality. She makes sure I don’t sleep in. Free feeding is not an option, or she would weigh twenty pounds. So, at 4 :30 am, she starts whining in 10-second intervals, to let me know she is hungry. This continues until I finally get up. She makes a slightly higher-pitched sound while staring at the balcony door when she wants to go out. She has a whole arsenal of different noises to tell me how she wants to be served.

She is a high-energy kitty and since I live in a rather small space, I take her to the nearby park in her Travel Cat Backpack. She enjoys being outside; it tires her out. Oh! I can hear her now! It must be close to feeding time. Hmm, maybe not. She usually starts an hour before. Sigh! 

Black and Tabby Cat lying on a cat tree, looking at the camera

Brokenhearted

In 2022, I lost my little Ben. It was the greatest loss I’ve ever experienced, and I have experienced my share. Losing his sister was also very difficult for Bobbesy. That’s when I adopted Maja Bean Purrsnickety. Neither of us was ready, I think, but it saddened me to see Bobbesy lonely and depressed almost a year later. It took him a while to warm up to Maja with him being older and her a bundle of kitten energy, but luckily it worked out for the best. 

Catless No More

I have been a cat mom for close to thirteen years now. Over those years, I am sure, I accumulated many more pictures of my cats than my cousin ever had. I even got my son to love cats. He used to be as indifferent to pets as I was. He named his feline Pippy (Pippycat, Pippy Fry Pie McGhee Pie, Q-Pip, Frip Frop, and Fry are just a few of her many names). Looking back, I often wish I would have been raised with pets. I missed out on years of the unconditional love they offer. Needless to say, I will never be catless again. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *