Have you met my cats?

When my girls were in kindergarten, animals such as hamsters and budgie birds were kept in their classroom. By the time they were in elementary grades, they were asking for a pet of their own.

I had grown up with a dog as a family pet, but was never allowed to keep a kitten because my dad was afraid of them. I think he had had a bad experience when he was younger. However, my Aunt Hazel, whom I stayed with on and off since I was 7 years old, had always kept a budgie bird. So, after some discussion we were off to the pet store to get a budgie. I rationalized that we could confine the bird to a cage most of the time and it would be cheap to feed.

First we had Pretty Bird, then Good Luck and Polly who each lasted a couple of years. The bird we had the longest was Jack, my favorite. He shared our home for over seven years. Jack had an extended vocabulary, was trained to perch only on top of his cage or on us – not the drapes and picture frames! He even traveled with us in the motor home on trips to Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Welbourne Bay.

After Jack died, my daughter’s friend was going away to college and needed someone to adopt Buster, a 10 or 11 years old budgie, who only lived long enough to give me the longing for another bird. Last Christmas my daughters brought me Joni in a cardboard box on the plane from St. John’s. Joni turned out to be female and a little more of a challenge to train, but great company just the same. A house without a budgie is just too silent.

Even though we had budgies for pets, my daughters continued to pester for a hamster, cat or dog – a pet they could cuddle. My oldest daughter Natalie came home several times asking if she could have a kitten. I researched and weighed the pros and cons. Anything from the rat family – or that remotely looked like a rat – was out of the question. Finally, we decided a cat would fit with our lifestyle and be less work than a dog – and I was right!

In the spring of 1996 we began to shop for a kitten. On Saturday, March 2nd we adopted Smokey from the pet store in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Smokey was born December 20, 1995 and he had a grey regal coat. He’s a real he-man cat who controls his territory, yet is very affectionate.

A few months later, Nattie came home saying that one of her friend’s cats had kittens and they needed a home. Their dad was out of town at the time and I was so confident that he would say ‘no’ that I told them to call and ask dad. If he said ‘yes’ then it was ok with me. Much to my surprise (chagrin) he did say ‘yes’, so off we went to the friend’s house to adopt Patches on Saturday, July 20, 1996. Named for her calico coat, Patches was born June 7, 1996.

We were totally enamored with our cats by this time. Whenever we saw a cat with rusty-coloured fur, I used to say that he would fit in great with our family because all of us had hair in various shades of strawberry blond at the time. Lo and behold, on December 23, 1996 I came into the house to find Goldie in a basket under the Christmas tree. I didn’t even notice him until he hopped out of the basket and ran across the floor in front of me. Goldie, orange as a pumpkin, was born on October 31, 1996. He has become Bev’s ol’ baby. He’s my shadow when I’m home. Whenever I sit at the table or work on the computer, he sits by my chair and waits for me. Whenever I sit on the chesterfield, he sits beside me. He also likes to share my bed.

Our three cats are house cats. Don’t get me wrong though. They are not confined to the house – they are just not permitted to roam free. They also have had trips in the camper, nights at the cabin, rides in the car and barbeques on the patio – supervised, of course!

After the third cat, we learned to say ‘no’ to more cats, but we did have a dog for about a year and a half. We adopted, Freddie, a beagle pup on November 18, 1997. He loved to chew on anything he could reach but he had his redeeming qualities. He especially won over the girls, but he was Wally’s dog! In the summer of 1999 Freddie got sick with leukemia and after a lengthy (and expensive) stay in the clinic, he passed away one hot day in July. Freddie rests in peace by our cabin on Mud Lake Road. Loosing Freddie was such a traumatic experience that we never did get another dog.

Our three cats permit us to share their house, do the housekeeping and serve them food. We are rewarded with lots of love. Let me introduce them:

Smokey a.k.a. Fat

Patches a.k.a. Lady of the House

Goldie a.k.a. Bev's ol' baby