Day Fifteen: Thankful for My Fur Babies

                                       

Today is an extremely cold Saturday, and there is a possibility that we'll see some snow tomorrow.  That's exciting, but I'm not going to get my hopes up too much because I'll believe it when I see it.  Although I'm not going to lie, I'd be very thankful for a snow day on Monday, just so I can get some work caught up and relax for a little while.

But today isn't about the weather, it's about my fur babies:  Katniss and Shadow.

Katniss is the big ball of white, and Shadow is that little black fuzz ball you see between Katniss's back legs.

Two days ago, Shadow went in to the vet's to be neutered and declawed.  Since he got home, yesterday, he's been extremely clingy and it made me realize how very thankful I am to have these two little fur babies to snuggle with on a cold night.

I'm not a big fan of declawing cats, but Shadow is a rambunctious little thing and insisted on trying to climb up my curtains and scratch the heck out of our new furniture.  That's no bueno, so the claws had to go.  Now, I feel so terribly guilty when he lunges for my chair or the side of the couch and falls because he doesn't have claws to use to climb up with.  But, he'll get used to not having them, I'm sure.

Anywho....

Katniss was my first Fur Baby.  I got her when she was in iddy, biddy kitten a little over two years ago.  Even though I have always been more partial to dogs, I couldn't resist her cute little face when I saw her in the back of a truck at Walmart.  I immediately scooped her up and took her home, and now that little, tiny ball of fur has grown in to a monstrous 10lbs of cat.  She's huge, and extremely heavy for a cat.  But, there's nothing that keeps my legs more warm than having her sprawled across my lap.

Katniss is very independent and spoiled rotten.  She is the kind of cat that will make an appearance and snuggle with me when it's a good time for her.  It doesn't really matter if I want her on my lap or not, she calls the shots.  And I have come to accept that I will share my bed with her, because I can either share or she'll just take the whole thing.  There is no negotiations.  She's in charge.

All kidding aside, she is a very sweet cat.  She seems to know when I'm upset or having a bad day, because she stays by my side on those days.  She will curl up in a ball on my lap and lull me with her deep, vibrating purr.  It's impossible to stay upset for very long when she's around.  I also love the fact that I can sit and crochet with her on my lap and she won't make a single attempt on touching the yarn.  That would require her to actually move, and that's not really her thing.  She's just not that in to toys, yarn, or anything that would require her to get some exercise.  She's a lot more content just watching me crochet, and as long as the yarn doesn't interfere with her resting spot, she's OK with it.

Another plus with having Katniss is the fact that Hubby adores her.  He's very finicky when it comes to having animals, so I am so relieved that Hubby and Katniss have a good relationship.  In fact, it's quite common for me to feel a spark of jealousy that Katniss would rather curl up with Hubby on his chair than her coming to snuggle with me.  But, I won't complain about that too much.  I'm just thankful that they get along.

Then there's Shadow.  The black kitten we got for Jelly after Gizmo passed away.  He's extremely active, gets in to everything, and drives everyone nuts.  The exact opposite of Gizmo and Katniss, really.  But, everyone can agree that they've grown to love his playfulness and trouble-making ways.  Well, everyone except Hubby.  Hubby adores Katniss, but he's not a big fan of Shadow's.  That's just because he's more playful and isn't as lazy as Katniss.  But, Hubby puts up with him, so that's better than  nothing.  He's the only cat I've ever had that can make you scream with frustration one minute and then two seconds later, he's being the sweetest little thing ever.  And, there's just no staying mad at him when he curls up in your arms like a baby.

Shadow is the kind of cat that will lay curled up in my arms, on his back, and will fall asleep from me holding him like that.  He's also the only cat I've ever had that insists on sleeping curled up between my neck and my chest while I'm in bed.  It can be quite difficult to sleep soundly when there's a cat so close to your face.  But, he's definitely a snuggler and wants attention pretty much all of the time.  Which is great for Jelly, because she can carry him around and play with him and it doesn't bother Shadow a bit.  He's a perfect companion for a six year old that insists on treating her animals like baby dolls.

Even though Shadow is Jelly's cat, Jelly is more than willing to share him with me.  Shadow likes to curl up with me if Jelly goes to bed a little too early for his liking.  Unlike Katniss, though, it's almost impossible to crochet if he's on my lap.  He wants to play and mess with the yarn, and I spend a great deal of time in the evenings putting him back on the floor so that I can crochet in peace.  I've come to the realization, however, that some evenings it's just easier to put the crocheting away and give him some attention.  He'll get his fill of love and then he'll go and find something else to do.  Like bother Jelly.

Both of my cats are members of our family.  And I'm extremely thankful that we have them.  They are loving, playful, and just make me happy.  Having pets isn't an easy thing to do, and I'm very thankful that we have the means to take care of them and give them a loving home.

I can easily recall the times in my life where having a cat just wasn't feasible.  With the cost of food, cat litter, vet visits, and such, I just couldn't afford it.  Now I'm very thankful that both of my cats are well taken care of, are healthy, and are given all the love and comfort that they need.  I'm a firm believer in not having animals unless they can be properly cared for, and I know that we are definitely taking care or our kitties.

So, today, I'm thankful for my fur babies.  Thankful for the comfort and love they give me and my family, and thankful that we can return the same love and comfort to them.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!