Confessions of a Cat Lady

Having more than one cat in your house may earn you the appelation of "Cat Lady". Actually, I think having two cats, or perhaps three cats, would cause one to be called a "Cat Fancier". Having four or more cats rightly deserves the title of "Cat Lady", provided of course, that the cat owner is female. If not female, I guess you'd call a male multiple meower maven a "Cat Guy". That's beside the point. What I am about in this blog is relating an interview that I had with a "cat lady", a keeper of six of the critters. I was interested in knowing where the obsession with feline house guests came from. I was lucky enough to find out from an avowed "Cat Lady" in a conversation that went like this:

Q. When did you first realize that you liked cats?
A. When I was just a toddler. My first pet was a dog. It wasn't very nice to me. My next pet was a cat. It was nice to me.
Q. How was it nicer than the dog?
A. Nicer isn't the right word to use. The dog bit me when I held it. The cat let me hold it and purred when I did. The dog wasn't nice. The cat was.
Q. Well, that figures. That is, I can see why you would prefer a cat. But, isn't one cat at a time enough?
A. It was for me at first, but I had two sisters and they liked cats, too. I had to share my cat with them and my parents usually wouldn't let us have more than one cat at a time. Occasionally, we had two cats, but that didn't feel satisfying.
Q. Besides being dissatisfied, how did you react to sharing one or two cats with someone else?
A. I went along with the idea of one cat at a time, but I promised myself that when I grew up and didn't have to share with my sisters anymore that I would have as many cats as I wanted.
Q. When did this multiple meower manifestation materialize?
A. After my first child was born. I found that I had to share a cat with another person again.
Q. Didn't your husband count as someone with whom you had to share a cat?
A. Of course not. The cat didn't pay any attention to him.
Q. How many cats do you have now?
A. I don't keep count, because I don't own them. They just choose to stay around the house and eat here. They are free to leave anytime they want.
Q. You have taken photos of them and given them names. Doesn't that assert a relationship beyond mere house guest?
A. Only to someone who is hung up on control. Anyone knows that you can't control a cat. They abide you, not obey you.
Q. Anything else you want to say about having multiple cats?
A. Yes, get a really absorbent cat litter and keep the litter box in the garage.

So, there it is. A "Cat Lady" is the product of unrestrained volition when it comes to harboring cats. Can't say it's a bad thing, it's just the way some people are.