At least one of them is mine

Remember my cats? Well, one of them is my cat. The other appears to have snubbed me in favor of Ally. Every night, the kids and I tromp upstairs for vitamins, potty time, and teethbrushing. Natalya hears us go up and follows us. She settles down on the floor in Ally's room and waits for us to get done in the bathroom. She sometimes gets up and rubs on Ally as we're reading stories, but more often than not, she just lays there staring at us waiting for bedtime stories to be over. As soon as Ally heads up her ladder to the top bunk, Natalya stands up, stretches, and follows her up the ladder. Before Ally's head hits the pillow, Natalya is finding a place to lay near her. As soon as Ally wakes in the morning, Natalya is meowing and rubbing against her. She's got to have her morning cuddles. But anyone else? She runs away from more often than not. I guess putting her in bed with Ally that first day started a trend.

And I think it is fan-freaking-tastic. I always had a cat as a kid. I talked to them, told them secrets, and held them close when my feelings were hurt. My cats silently listened to me through my tears and always assured me that no matter what they still loved me. Above all, it's that acceptance that I remember from having pets as a kid. And I am overjoyed that Ally is going to have that too.

As a kid, I had lots of pets, including your average dogs and cats. But we had plenty of un-average pets as well. From lambs, to pot-bellied pigs, a monkey, lizards, mina birds, parrots, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, fish, snakes, pygmy goats, a horse, mice, and who can even remember what else. With all that though, I'm still partial to cats. And I love that my daughter seems to be developing a special bond with Natalya.

But at least I still have Boris. Boris is a cuddler. He likes to get right up in your face and rub his cat hair up your nose. He leaps on me every time I sit in the computer chair. He stands on his back legs and paws at me if I don't lay back down and pet him for a few minutes after getting out of the shower. We even sleep together. At night after the kids are asleep, he curls up on the back of whatever couch I'm on and sleeps at my head until I go to bed.

What Ally doesn't always see though, is how much work it takes to be a pet owner. The litter box changes. The food and water fill-ups. The barf clean up (although, thankfully, not much of this). The brushing. The chasing down of the black cat in the ptich black night because it darted out the door while your husband was gong to the grocery store and didn't get the door all the way shut (stupid cat).

Burger King has a new toy out. They're iDogs. And they don't need any of that work. They're just fun. Even though I'm a cat person, this is an idea I can get behind. Check it out at Club BK. This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.

Comments

[Cousin Valerie]

I loved being the cool kid in class when Aunt Janet would bring in her pet monkey for my show & tell! Didn't Lucy end up in California, too?

[Jan Williams]

Lucy came from California, ended up with a male monkey in southern Illinois. Owner is now untraceable or I might have tried to get her back!

[arizaphale]

You had a pot bellied pig????? Wild!
Yea, our cats are a big art of life too. i'm considering putting the older one, Pippin, on vallium at the vet's suggestion. He is cranky, hissy, bites you for no reason and will not sit on anyone's lap. He sleeps on the BA's bed from time to time but that's about it. Morticia on the other hand is on my lap as I type. (quite tricky as she has both paws draped over my left arm.) I am typing pretty much one handed!)She is also the one for shooting out the door at night after which you chase her around in the dark by virtue of her one ginger eyebrow which bobs about in a disembodied state.

[tricia]

Like you, I grew up with a menegerie of pets: horses, cats, dogs, raccoons, sheep, groundhog (long story). My dad was an animal lover and talk about indulgence, if he found a stray, it came home with us. I loved growing up like that.

[Michele P.]

INDULGENCE

I got kind of jealous when my female cat Brujita started paying more attention to my daughter...lol... but I am definitely snubbed at time for my daughter. It is cute though, because they grew up together and Bruja is very protective of her little charge (at almost 7 though, Deja is not so little anymore!)

micaela6955 at msn dot com