Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Mid Atlantic Forum pet pics, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
V V---

Your love for your cats is amazing--with all the stories and the names...
They are ALL beautiful, healthy, and--obviously-- pampered.
It is also obvious that they have the run of the house--and the tables--
and the kitchen counters--and your bed---etc...etc...
Many people would have a cow seeing cars all over everything.

My youngest daughter, Benita, was always an animal lover--from day one.
While she still lived home, we went through (about) 5 or 6 cats.
I "loved them"----tolerated them---but they were also outside cats (vs, just inside)
and in the long run, this led to the demise of some of them.
VERY touching stories--as my DD was away at college and we had all these cats
to care for.
Mt favorite was "Hobo"---a big orange tabby who chose us.
He was a stray--and seemed had been on his own for a while. He came one day
to out front door and soft-hearted me--put a dish of cat food out for him.
It was obvious that he had been out in the woods for a while. His feet were all sores,
he was dirty and full of ear mites, and---he sat on my doorstep for 7 days.

Finally--I decided to adopt him, but before he could set foot in the house, he went
for a trip to the Vets to get cleaned up--get his shots--get neutered, and all that.
Then I brought him home...
He was big and fat and fluffy---and it took a couple years before he got comfortable
with the other cats we had--and he became the Alpha cat.

Not gonna go into more stories--as the cats came and went and some succumbed to injuries
and had to be put down. Some of it is so sad to talk about. How they "went"--and why.

Nowadays--I do not have any pets at all. Haven't had any for decades. It is OK with me....
Too many came and went. it was a bother to me to some extent.
Living alone--I do not want to have any obligations to pets. I want to come and go
as I please. Never had any dogs...just the cats,,,,

It all started with these two--brother and sister--we adopted them out of a cardboard box
at the shopping center because my girls (then 10 and 7) had to have them.
These were named Tina and Taffy. They both lived a long life.

Gita