Even though I had many pets throughout my childhood, I've never been much of an animal person. For the first seven years of our marriage, Bill and I avoided pets altogether. But with our kids getting older (and theoretically more responsible), I started thinking maybe it was time to give pet ownership a try. I didn't feel we were ready for a dog, and I definitely didn't want an indoor pet, so I decided an outdoor cat would be a good choice. Thus began the Great Sivert Cat Saga of 2008.
We got our first cat in May, a sweet little orange kitten from my sister Erin. We named her Scout (in honor of To Kill a Mockingbird) and were instantly smitten with her. She was good-natured and loveable, but had the unfortunate tendency to play under and around the van, which led to her demise after only a couple of weeks. I was the one driving the van at the time of the incident, and it was so horrible. I couldn't believe how devastated I was over her death. I started thinking maybe we just weren't cut out for pet ownership.
After the pain of Scout's death started to fade a bit, we decided to try again with another kitten from the same litter as Scout. In keeping with the Mockingbird theme, we named this one Boo Radley. Like Scout, Boo Radley was a great cat. She was especially drawn to Bill, and would follow him around whenever he was outside. Things were going so well with Boo that we started thinking about getting a second cat, which I mentioned to my mom. Later that same day my mom came across some free kittens, so she picked one out for us and kept it at her house until we could get it from her. Boo was much better than Scout about staying away from our vehicles, but unfortunately one day in July she decided to climb up into Bill's truck engine, and well...that's probably enough detail. So once again we had to deal with the loss of our pet. Bill was particularly upset about Boo's death, and he swore we would not get another cat.
I told my mom that we probably wouldn't be able to take the cat she had waiting for us. She said she'd keep it and we were welcome to it if we changed our minds. When we were at her house a few weeks later we met the cat, and it was the cutest little thing ever. Of course the kids instantly fell in love with her and we couldn't resist taking her home. The problem was that there was another cat living at my mom's (actually from the same litter as Scout and Boo) who was very attached to our cat. We felt bad for splitting them up, so somehow we ended up taking them both home.
We got our first cat in May, a sweet little orange kitten from my sister Erin. We named her Scout (in honor of To Kill a Mockingbird) and were instantly smitten with her. She was good-natured and loveable, but had the unfortunate tendency to play under and around the van, which led to her demise after only a couple of weeks. I was the one driving the van at the time of the incident, and it was so horrible. I couldn't believe how devastated I was over her death. I started thinking maybe we just weren't cut out for pet ownership.
After the pain of Scout's death started to fade a bit, we decided to try again with another kitten from the same litter as Scout. In keeping with the Mockingbird theme, we named this one Boo Radley. Like Scout, Boo Radley was a great cat. She was especially drawn to Bill, and would follow him around whenever he was outside. Things were going so well with Boo that we started thinking about getting a second cat, which I mentioned to my mom. Later that same day my mom came across some free kittens, so she picked one out for us and kept it at her house until we could get it from her. Boo was much better than Scout about staying away from our vehicles, but unfortunately one day in July she decided to climb up into Bill's truck engine, and well...that's probably enough detail. So once again we had to deal with the loss of our pet. Bill was particularly upset about Boo's death, and he swore we would not get another cat.
I told my mom that we probably wouldn't be able to take the cat she had waiting for us. She said she'd keep it and we were welcome to it if we changed our minds. When we were at her house a few weeks later we met the cat, and it was the cutest little thing ever. Of course the kids instantly fell in love with her and we couldn't resist taking her home. The problem was that there was another cat living at my mom's (actually from the same litter as Scout and Boo) who was very attached to our cat. We felt bad for splitting them up, so somehow we ended up taking them both home.
So now we had two cats. The first one was black and white like a skunk, so we named her Pepe (as in Pepe Le Pew, the cartoon skunk). The second cat was pretty wild and a little mean. We named her Spooky (because she spooked easily).
At first everything was great with our new cats. They were best buds, and Spooky started warming up to us. Then one day Pepe disappeared. We searched and searched but couldn't find her anywhere. We hung up "Lost Cat" posters all over town but the only responses we got were from people wanting to get rid of their own kittens. The kids kept praying that Pepe would come home, but I must confess that after a few weeks I gave up hope of ever seeing her again. In the meantime, Spooky was becoming more friendly and we grew quite attached to her (so of course we started expecting the worst).
Now, before you report us to the Human Society, there is actually a positive twist to this story, because last week we got Pepe back! The story of getting her back is long and convoluted (and frankly, it makes me mad to think about it), so I won't bore you all with the details. Pepe is just as cute and sweet as ever, but during her absence she had been declawed. We couldn't let a poor defenseless cat live outside, and we didn't want to risk losing her again, so I'm letting her live in the house. So far everything is going well (knock on wood). Pepe and Spooky did not instantly renew their old friendship, but they've ceased the initial non-stop fighting and now tolerate each other.
Now, before you report us to the Human Society, there is actually a positive twist to this story, because last week we got Pepe back! The story of getting her back is long and convoluted (and frankly, it makes me mad to think about it), so I won't bore you all with the details. Pepe is just as cute and sweet as ever, but during her absence she had been declawed. We couldn't let a poor defenseless cat live outside, and we didn't want to risk losing her again, so I'm letting her live in the house. So far everything is going well (knock on wood). Pepe and Spooky did not instantly renew their old friendship, but they've ceased the initial non-stop fighting and now tolerate each other.
Pepe the prodigal cat
If Pepe can survive Joshua, she'll be able to survive anything
Spooky, who no longer spooks easily
And that my friends is the story of how during a four month period our family went from no cats, to one cat, to no cats, to one cat, to no cats, to two cats, to one cat, and back to two cats. Now if only we can stay that way for a while!
3 comments:
That is quite a saga! You weren't kidding. We went through a number of cats during my growing up years. Several met their demise at the hands (or teeth) of the local dogs, or were hit by cars, etc. One disappeared for a few weeks and came back missing one leg. We renamed her Stumpy. I've concluded that unless you do keep your cat inside, it's playing with fire.
I'd have bawled my eyes out if I'd run over a cat : (. That's sad.
That is quite the pet drama....you are a brave mommy, the idea of pets is just exhausting to think about. Sorry about your first 2 cats that is awful. We wish you luck and peaceful pet ownership from here on out!!
Meggy-pants.....I love reading your entries….so funny and full of your sense of humor. Congratulations on being pet owners and they sure are adorable (I’m not much of a cat person but on a monitor – they look just fine). Miss you….-Em
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