Cats...

Growing up, we always had a cat in the house...in fact, at one point we had three! Jigs was the first, then I think came Whitey, followed by Patches. Whitey was my cat. I was around 3 when my mom picked him up, battered and neglected at the local gas station, set to die the next morning at the owner's hands. My parents have always had a place in their heart for neglected animals, so there was no way Whitey was being left behind.

For the next 17 years, Whitey followed me everywhere, slept on my head, and licked my hair (I know, weird, but also comforting). I loved them all, but they also had their issues. All three were males and had the great quality of marking their territory. That, coupled with the mass amounts of hair that covered the house and the wonderful smell of the litter box, made me swear that I would not own a cat when I grew up. Even though I loved them, and the personalities they have, I was determined to own dogs!

However, I am here today to let you all know, that I am, and always will be, a cat lady! I thought I could switch my preference, but I can't! And the funny thing is, I never considered myself a cat person. Even though I was dressing Whitey up in doll clothes (and yes, he was a boy, but his complexion made him look great in pink ruffles!), carrying him around the house in baskets, and sharing my cereal and chex mix with him. Oh no, I was simply being nice. I would tell everyone and their mother that I was not a cat person, I just happened to have a best friend who was a cat. And Whitey was my best friend.

A funny memory of Whitey was when my sister and I shared a room. Whitey would always hop onto my bed and if Kory was being a brat, I would start telling Whitey secrets to make Kory mad. He was my partner in crime!

And when he passed, I lost someone very special to me. Someone who had grown up with me, someone who had helped me through some rough times. I spent a few years pondering where to bury Whitey, but I just hated the thought of putting him in the ground. One summer I came home from college and knew that it was time to find him a permanent home. We had planted a few trees for other pets and placed their ashes in the soil and I knew Whitey would want to be outside. So we went a picked out a tree, and Whitey was finally at peace.

And he got a cute little sign that needs to be fixed but it says, "Cats leave pawprints on our hearts."And even though I denied the fact that I was in love with cats, I guess God had a different plan. Shortly after getting married, Chaz and I knew we wanted to add to our Durgin clan. We looked at small dogs, and big dogs, and fish, and mice, and ferrats (that one is all mine!). Chaz came across some cats online and after discussing it to the extreme, we decided to get a cat as that is what our apartment allowed. Little did we know that we would be blessed with this lovely lady!

But Faith was going to be it! No more animals until we could get a dog! But I guess my parents need to help animals passed on to me cause when I heard this old girl (she's around 11) needed a home or she would be put down, I just knew she was coming home with me!

And both our girls have made our home even more enjoyable then it was before. We love cuddling them and fawning over them, giving them treats and playing with toys.
And even up till now, it has been hard to admit I am a cat lady. But with these two beauties around, I can't help but realize that I really am a cat lady...probably for life!

How could I not be when I get to come home to this cute mug!