"Cat Love"

"NO WAY!" was my response when my daughter suggested we care for an orphaned kitten. I knew what that meant. That was a classic example of a 'WE JOB'. You know the kind, someone suggests that WE do something together when what they really mean is YOU do it after THEY lose interest and your annoying sense of responsibility forces you to complete the task alone. I knew exactly what this was going to mean. WE would care for the kitten for the first 24 to 48 hours and then the burden of nightly bottle feedings and clean ups would be all mine. "NO WAY!" I repeated more for my benefit than hers. 'Just turn away. Don't look.' I told myself, knowing that if I looked back at the painfully tiny little orange ball of fur or the huge green now-tearing eyes of my grief stricken daughter, I would be lost forever. As I attempted to make my escape, I inadvertently looked back to see if my daughter was following and my eyes fell upon the thing I feared. My daughter was holding the teeniest little creature in the palm of her hand. DONE! That's it. I was finished! As I turned around and walked back through the door, my shoulders slouched in defeat.

It was exactly how I predicted. My daughter gave a valiant effort for the first several days, helping to nurse, bathe and clean the little orphan cat. After the fourth night of getting up to the sound of hungry little meows at 3 am, she decided that it was far too much sleep deprivation for her growing 9 yr old brain and I best take over the nightly duties to avoid condemning her to a life of arrested development.

Friday, the name given to him by my daughter, had become my sole responsibility. I fed him, cleaned his litter box and looked after him without a great deal of enthusiasm, interest or love. He was a cat after all. Cats come and go, they run away, get hit by cars and frequently are a great source of protein for local coyotes. I was not getting attached. Nope… not this time, no way Jose, not gonna happen.

Famous last words. In a few short weeks, the little ginger furball followed me around like a duckling. He even slept curled into the crook of my arm every night. Have you seen that commercial where the guy asks his cat to go on a picnic? That had become me. I was talking to my cat like a crazy person asking him if he wanted cuddles and kisses. What had become of me? Where was my resolve? I’ll tell you what happened. Cat love. That’s what happened. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Oh you can fight it, but resistance is futile… luckily though… the reward is priceless.