Posted on by Belinda O

bottom line: my life is better with cats

If you know me at all, you know this post was inevitable. Yes, I’m one of those – a cat lover.

walter kitty sm
Walter

I’m not going to say “cat lady,” because that sounds like I have 17 cats in my house on the outskirts of town where I play Bobby Darin records, eat bon-bons and watch game shows. Alone.

Right now that sweet little guy on the left, Walter, is trying to get settled in my lap as I sit at my desk and type this post. He’s my snuggler, the first lap cat I’ve ever had.

They soothe me. When I’m stressed, lonely or despairing, they’re there to protect me from all evil.

Like so many cat lovers, I want to show my appreciation for them. In my home, I have to keep myself from over-decorating my apartment in cat-themed art. It’s really startling to one day look around and lose count of how many inanimate cats there are in your home.

mimi beanie sm
Mimi

I decided it was time to move away from it, and at the same time look for something I hadn’t tried at all before, Modern Art.

I thought, check out Andy Warhol. Guess what I found out? Mr. Warhol did a whole series of cat pictures. I now have a print of one in my bedroom. It’s called “So Meow” and the colors are perfect. I’m not sure if I won or lost with that one. Let’s face it, wherever I go, the cats are going to pull me in,

Almost twenty years ago I picked up the cat of my heart, Paco. I love every cat who’s ever been a part of my life, but Paco was special. We were both lonely souls at the time who desperately needed each other. I saved him, and he saved me. It was a bond I don’t expect to have again.

When I got him, he was the squirreliest looking thing ever — great big ears, great big paws, a great big tail and scrawny everything else. Kind of like an awkward teenager, although at first I simply thought I’d inherited a homely cat.

Paco, sometime between really squirrelly-looking and beautiful.
Paco, sometime between really squirrelly-looking and beautiful.

“Mom,” I said in a panic when I called her. “He’s so funny looking and he ignores me!”

“I’m sure he’s not that funny looking,” she replied, “and he just needs to get used to his new home.”

Right on the second part, wrong on the first. But eventually he grew into the big beautiful cat he remained until he died at the age of 16.

Paco would sit at the door and wait for me to come home at night. I moved in with my mom for a short time, and she said he got in place about 30 minutes before I was expected home. I made sure I was never late.

One weekend I visited my brother out of town. I left at the usual time in the morning with a bag Paco didn’t recognize. My mom told me (after I got home) that he waited for me until 10:30 that night, until she finally picked him up and brought him into the living room to sit next to her. He pretty much stayed there until I came home. Then he was really mad at me, and hissed for an hour. Then he wouldn’t leave my side.

Montero watching Law & Order sm
Montero was a big fan of “Law and Order.” I also just realized how old my TV set is.

I’m crying a little as I write that story. I miss him, but I love my current babies, Walter & Mimi.  I hope I always have a cat in my life. These are pictures of some of those who have made my life better just by waking (me) up in the morning.

And I confess, I do listen to Bobby Darin from time to time. So do Walter & Mimi. We’re romantics. But I’m still a cat lover, not a cat lady.

33 Replies to “bottom line: my life is better with cats”

  2. This post was a little sad, but with moments of happiness as well. I could picture your cat Paco waiting for you to come home and the time where he hissed at you for not coming home when he wanted you to be home. The formatting on this post was a little off with the pictures. I almost skipped a few sentences because they were very tight against the side of the picture (I don’t know if I’m making any sense). Otherwise, this was a great post!

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    1. Thank for all the feedback! As for the formatting, I’ll go in and adjust. Maybe put take one picture out, or take out the captions. Thank you for letting me know!

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      1. I’m not quite sure what would make the sentences shift like that. It was happy and sad. I’m trying to switch to sleeping during the day and so I’m quite tired at the moment. I probably shouldn’t be commenting in this tired state! I’m not really processing everything I’m reading haha.

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  3. I grew up around cats – I love them. My grandma is a cat lover, and the stray cats kept coming to my grandparents’ house. Isn’t it funny how they pick up when their humans are stressed out or sad? They calm you down too.

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    1. They do — every cat I’ve ever had would sit by my side when I was upset and wouldn’t leave unless I did. I remember when I took Paco to the vet and I knew the news would be bad, there was a cat in the waiting room who came and sat next to me. She just sat there, eyes closed, gently purring, until the vet came out, then she jumped down. I think she knew I was scared.

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  4. I’m a huge dog person… maybe because I’m severely allergic to cats, but… I always saw cats as kind of selfish and not lovable…?? Your post changed my views on that! Sort of. Hahaha. I think I’ll just always be a dog lover…. A different kind of love, that’s all 🙂

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    1. Cats have a different demeanor, there’s no doubt about it, but mine have always been very loving. The two I have now are particularly so. Paco was completed devoted to me (I’m sure part of the reason he hissed when I came back after my long weekend was because he’d been scared I’d left him!) and he was friendly with others, but he had his limits. When he was done with the lovin’, he was done. 🙂

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    1. He was such a sweet baby. I look back now and think he was always pretty cute. I actually didn’t take pictures of him at first. Part of the problem was he was malnourished.
      If you’d seen my current cat, Walter, when he was a kitten, you would have had to adopt him. He was the cutest thing ever. Just one big ball of fluff.

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  7. Just lovely.

    We had a true companion cat named Prince Soot for over 17 years. He has passed and a three quarter grown orange firecracker of a cat has joined us. It amazes me how different their personalities are and this youngster is just filed with antics all night long while sleeping through the day.

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    1. They are amazingly different! Each of the cats I show in that post have — or had — such distinct & wonderful personalities. I love “firecracker of a cat.” I’ve had one of those! And a “whippersnapper.” 🙂

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    1. I rescued my two — actually my neighbors did initially, then they weren’t able to care for them. I know what you mean about the energy. I’m so glad I have to two because I’m too old to entertain a kitten — or even young adult cat!

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  13. What is this? Ninjas cutting onions? Must be, these are not tears.
    The story of him waiting at the door and then being mad. Me and my cat Tsuki lived on our own while I was studying away from home, we had been with my parents for about 3 weeks when I had to go out of town for 2 days. When I got back she was mad at me for about an hour and I had to apologize to pet her again. Only after I got back did my parents tell me that she hadn’t eaten or moved those 2 days, just laying on my robe on my bed, waiting for me to get home…

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  14. Pingback: Still about Tsuki | Just Blank Pages

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