Dear Reader Column 10-01-08

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Dear Reader,

When my next door neighbor moved away he left eight cats behind. Two weeks later when I discovered the abandoned pets they were all starved, one a mother still nursing five kittens. The immediate need was food, which wasn't a problem since my husband and I had two fussy-eating felines of our own at the time. Cuddling the five kittens in one arm and holding a plate of turkey and giblets in my other hand, it wasn't difficult getting the hungry family to follow me home.

Eventually I found loving homes for the kittens (it was a sad day when I had to say good-bye, they were so cute), I adopted one of the cats who made it known she'd rather live indoors, and the other two cats Mama and Papa, (I've never been very creative naming pets) live outdoors, and have collars with ID tags, they're fixed, I feed them twice a day and every year their shots are updated. They are happy outdoor Florida cats, who now-and-then wander into my house, looking for a good brushing. I love them as if they were always my own and they've become part of our family.

I guess that's why I felt so hurt when I was walking around the block the other day and noticed Mama and Papa sitting on the porch of my neighbor's still vacant house. What the heck were they doing there? Why would they want to go back and visit some place where they were mistreated? Weren't they happy at my house? I was the one who loved and cared for them and here they were hanging out at the neighbor's as if they were waiting for him to come home.

Whoa...where did that come from? My emotions were getting carried away and my reaction was surprising. After I thought about it for awhile I realized that Mama and Papa are probably no different than me. Home wasn't what I wanted it to be when I was growing up, but it was still my home, a familiar place and part of me wishes, even today, that I could go back home and figure it out.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
mailto:Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Comments

[bee]

This made me chuckle to myself. :) Now you know what it feels like when you’re a mom, and someone becomes a step-mom to your one and only child that you've raised on your own their whole life. :) That instant gotcha/sucker punch is irrefutable.

Now I don’t feel like my feelings are so irrational, and it’s all thanks to you and your cats. (I should probably keep that a secret!)