10 Years of Felines

The beasts, Fatty (el Gordo), and Bentley are now 10. This is a delayed blog on their birthday but they are cats, not kids so my negligence to blog on their birth month is pardoned.

 Who knows what day they were really born. Legend has it that they were birthed along the sweet grasses growing along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on a fresh April morning. (I think they are astrologically Aries) The mama cat, unable to take care of her kitties, escaped or was met with death. A kind SPCA volunteer worker happened to find two tiny kittens, roaming the shores of the Chesapeake, undernourished, very sick sneezing blood and crying. He took them back to the Annapolis SPCA, bottle fed them and put them in a crate together because they cried when separated. A few weeks later, a 19 year old girl (me) strolled in searching for a feline to keep her company and shoo away the pesky noises in her attic. She met the wet pink noses of two kitties and their story just broke her heart. Digging in her wallet she pulled out forty dollars that were for her groceries but decided to pay for the two kitties instead then picked them up days later, vaccinated and spayed. What a deal! Since then they have been her best buddies, traveling around during college, sitting on piles of books through exams, cuddling on cold nights, comforting during difficult times, traveling intercontinentaly because she asked them to and purring every day for no reason at all.

I have something to say on finding abandoned kitties. It has been in my experience to notice that people who have found and kept abandoned cats become suddenly softer, smile more and are more relaxed. My grandma, bless her heart, opened her home to more than a dozen innocent wide-eyed stray cats in Jacksonville, Florida. My dad found his little orange treasure, Starbucks, behind the trashcan of a Starbucks on a rainy stormy night. 

There she is! This little 4 inch monster turned my retired military dad into a giggly happy man.

La Gata is halfway a stray cat with a heart of steal but turns gushy and sweet around my moms ankles at breakfast time. Sweet little Briochina was found srawny and scared scampering around in search for a home when my dear friend from Verona caught her, tamed her and turned her into a purring house cat. Even Anne of Green Gables, yes Anne of Green Gables, don't laugh, found and loved a stray ugly cat with a wobbly eye. Imagine though, if a sweet cat with a wobbly eye loved you. Wouldn't that make coming home from work better?

 They say a dog is mans best friend. I would disagree, a cat is man's best friend. In honor of my 2 ten year-old kitties, here is my list of why cats my cat's are worthy of being called man's best friends. *side note to all the men who disagree. Having a cat is manly and in fact a chic magnet, just don't have more than 2, then it becomes weird. Any more than 2 pets = weirdness*

Why Cats are Man's Best Friend

20. No Drama. You will rarely hear a cat complain about his troubles, unless he is hungry or very sick. Cats, as usual, they are selfish little creatures and due to their love of comfort usually refuse to complain. They are entirely devoted to the one they love, their feeder:

The alternative to an expensive towel warmer is a pant warmer.

19. They are effortlessly graceful. They are moving sculptures.

From the Modern Art Museum to you

Shadow

18. They are aloof hosts and will elegantly yet distainfully watch from a distance. Dogs, on the other hand will *sniff* every guest in the most inappropriate places ensuring that the aquaintance is well made.

Your guests will be watched, scorned and judged from a distance.

17. They are unintrusive guests.

"Bentley, really, staying under the bed forever is not an option."

16. They are clean.

Bath time

15. They are compact.

Fatty ruffled through my important documents that led to this moment. This a medium box, too big in the view of Fatty, he prefers shoe boxes and actually does squeeze quite well into one, I have yet to take a picture.

14. They are wonderful travelers.

Bentley is featured on the bottom right. Ah, the comfort of moving! And Fatness? He is on the top left in the Sherpa black bag with his water bottle. See him? Neither do I, but trust me, he was the most comfortable with the best view.

El Gordo (fatty) in the flight cage

A cat in a strange land

13. They are relaxing.

Go ahead, take that nap. Life isn't meant for stress, relax.

Only Fatty can make an iron pole look like a comfortable head-rest.

12. They are entertaining.

The founder of Brazilian Capoeira was an angry cat.

I wish I knew what Bentley was thinking.

Ah...Sun on the belly!

11. They understand 90% of what you say, agree with most of it but obey only 10%. Overall, that's better than most people.

"As you walk away I will open the cupboard and get my own food...."

10. They are optimists.

"Go on, keep cleaning the floor, it's not that bad."

9. They are good house sitters.

"Go on about your business, we will man the fort. Just be sure to come back in a couple days."

8. They hold mild grudges and usually forgive...usually.

"How dare you!"

Best friends once again

7. They are good talkers. We have a dialouge at least once a day and to my husbands horror, he has also begun to converse with the cats (in Neapolitan, Italian and English). They understand Neapolitan the best.

6. They try to take care of you when you are sick, sad or blue.

I was so sick here and El Gordo didn't leave my side for days.

5. They encourage you to be flexible mentally and physically.

Pilates time!

4. They warn you of earthquakes. I don't have a picture of this one but the cat's howl, and try to escape when an earthquake hit us.

3. They are supportive but let you know when you are wasting your time.

Bentley always knows when work has been brutal, it's like he sences it and goes over to my husband to give significant moral support. This blood-pressure lowering moment makes the cats totally worth the few times they are...trying (hairball hacks and litter boxes).

2. They try their best to protect you. Sometimes that is interpreted by a smack at your ankles if your shoe makes noise (something must be wrong!), or sitting quietly next to your head, waking you up if you are sick and sleeping, but it is all with the intention of keeping you in line.

Bentley is very sensitive and knows when we are under the weather or blue and does what he can to fix things.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

1. They are very fluffy and cute.

In conclusion, I think every nice person could benefit from having a cat in their life. Cats don't like mean, loud or bossy people and will also alert you of any wierdos. In general, cats have good energy, are extremely relaxed and very sweet so anything contrary to their comfort will be dealt with not curiosity but distance and fridgidness alerting you to do the same. I highly recommend having cats. I have owned several in my life and there isn't one that I have not liked. So here is to Fatty and Bentley: Happy Birthday Furballs! Now off to clean the litter box.