Our Cats

My family loves cats and we always joke that in our next lives, we will be coming back as cats in families just like ours.

Let me introduce you to my little friends or as I call them, my grand kitties.  Living with me are three females, Mingus aka Mingy; Mary and Rhoda.  Technically, these cats belong to my daughter, Tracey.  She’d moved back home for a few months with Mingy and when she left, Mingy remained with me.  Tracey then adopted Mary and Rhoda who always came for weekend visits with Tracey but last year she decided it would be nice for them to spend the summer so they could enjoy the garden. Well guess what, apparently, summer has not yet ended in Tracey’s world. 

Mingy is a sweetie and has allowed Mary and Rhoda full access to her home.  She loves to have her back patted vigorously.  Mary and Rhoda love being in the garden but I’ve noticed Mary also likes going outside when it’s cold and snowy. She’s also my shadow, following me around the house and watching as I do my chores.  Rhoda is more independent and comes to me to have her ears tickled and her back scratched. Anyway, I love having them here and truth be told, I would miss Mare and Rho if they went back to their home. By the way, Tracey has been told in no uncertain terms that she is NOT to adopt any more cats as I am quite aware how this story ends.

Other kitties are Cleo and Mica, female longhairs, who live with Leah and Julian and Sammy, male, also a longhair, who lives with Sharon and Mark.  Cleo is used to my home as she lived here when Leah was still at home but Mica never stayed here until I had to look after them when Leah and Julian were away for a week. Let’s just say Mica was not at all thrilled with this arrangement.  Leah and Julian live in a loft and Mica always climbs to the pipes and ducts. Since I don’t have such high places in my home, she was not a happy kitty. She would climb on top of high pieces of furniture trying to get even higher.  Mica also loves to cuddle; whenever I was lying down, she would climb on me and snuggle into my neck.  Cleo gave us a scare a few years ago when she disappeared from the back garden. We scoured the neighbourhood, called around and put up posters. She finally showed up two days later and guess who was not allowed in the garden anymore?  Sammy is one laid back cat and so grateful to be in a loving home. He’d had a traumatic life living in a home with a dog and he had not been treated well. Sammy loves to sleep between Sharon and Mark and usually finds himself on the other side of the bedroom door when he starts licking Mark’s face.  We’re glad to have him but I think he’s happier to have us. 

Jake and Princess live two hours away with Julian’s mum.  They were strays, who with their mother, came to my yard and my neighbour’s. Unfortunately we had to have the mother picked up by animal control because each year she was producing two litters and it was heartbreaking to see them struggle for food and to watch her become thinner.  From each litter it appeared only one kitten would be strong enough to survive so Julian took Jake to his mother’s home. From the next litter, the survivor was Princess. These two are sleek, jet black cats who tend to hide when we visit.  

There are those that now only live on in our hearts. We have kept their ashes. They are Coal, one of the strays who died during the time when pets were dying from eating contaminated pet food. There was Max, a very big cat, not fat, just big. He got sick and died suddenly.  There was Yogi, Julian’s cat, who died of old age.  

We have to stay on top of cat hair, stop them from jumping and scratching where they shouldn’t but this is a small price to pay for their unconditional love and companionship.  They are members of our family and we love them to pieces.

Will keep you posted.

Mary, Mingy &Rhoda keeping an eye on a visitor