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Time is an oil leak. At first you don’t notice anything, and then all of a sudden a rod is thrown and the entire works is shot. As part of that constant of American traditions, I decided to write down some goals for the next year (“resolutions” being somewhat beneath me, for reasons). One of the goals was to write blogs more. So I come here and look. Holy shit, I haven’t written a blog since July of 2013, after Jaden, the empress of cats, had to be put to sleep.
Then I felt like cats would no longer be part of life for me. There was Oy, but he took a mysterious trip sometime around the time Jaden died (I can’t remember if it was before or after; all I know is that cat was Satanic). There’s Beetle, who is still around and still bigger than a breadbox. Beetle doesn’t sound like she’s going to be long for the world, honestly, and I can’t work up much sadness about that. I don’t want her to die, but she’s not like part of the family to me. She’s like a piece of furniture, something unused, but which covers up a stain on the carpet or a hole in the wall, so we don’t get rid of it. So I figured once Beetle was gone, that would be it.
There are five pets in the house now. Even today, I’m still not sure exactly how that happened. Well, sort of, I guess. We decided to get a pet for Tatiana. That was a mistake. Because going to the shelter meant Katy could fall in love with creatures, and she did. Rose was the first. Rose was Tatiana’s dog, but really, she belongs to Katy. Katy calls the dog her baby. Katy has her sit in her lap, even though the dog weighs about seventy pounds. I believe the dog likes me more than anyone else in the house, but that’s through no fault of my own. I’m not a dog person. I haven’t been since I was a kid, but the damn dog won’t leave me alone.
Wash came along next. Honestly, we got wash because the shelter was giving away cats for nine bucks, and who wouldn’t want to buy a cat at that price. Wash is aloof. Nothing affects him. His need and desire for affection is fleeting, and if he notices you noticing him giving you affection, it stops. He’s my favorite. As much as this cat could have a favorite, I suppose I might be his.
Fred and Xander came together, in that we got the dog, Fred, and the cat, Xander, at the same time. Fred is small and pathetic and, if you look her in the face, she looks creepily like a little Jewish man. I think we’ve had her for six months, and she still runs away anytime I come near her. Doesn’t stop her from sleeping right next to me on the bed, slowly pulling the blankets off my body.
Xander we got, honestly, because he’s the softest cat we’ve ever felt. I assumed that I would be his favorite and he mine. Somehow, no. Xander is not mean in any way, but he doesn’t understand play, at least not play with people. I have claw marks on me every day. Strangely enough, Tatiana and Xander are the best of buds. She picks him up and carries him around as if he were one of her dolls. If Katy or I did that, we would both be marked up. He’s walking around the house right now, meowing because she’s not here. He’s looking for her, but she’s visiting her mother and won’t be here until next week. I shudder to think how he’ll respond in the summer when Tatiana spends much of the summer away.
Too many pets.
Then I felt like cats would no longer be part of life for me. There was Oy, but he took a mysterious trip sometime around the time Jaden died (I can’t remember if it was before or after; all I know is that cat was Satanic). There’s Beetle, who is still around and still bigger than a breadbox. Beetle doesn’t sound like she’s going to be long for the world, honestly, and I can’t work up much sadness about that. I don’t want her to die, but she’s not like part of the family to me. She’s like a piece of furniture, something unused, but which covers up a stain on the carpet or a hole in the wall, so we don’t get rid of it. So I figured once Beetle was gone, that would be it.
There are five pets in the house now. Even today, I’m still not sure exactly how that happened. Well, sort of, I guess. We decided to get a pet for Tatiana. That was a mistake. Because going to the shelter meant Katy could fall in love with creatures, and she did. Rose was the first. Rose was Tatiana’s dog, but really, she belongs to Katy. Katy calls the dog her baby. Katy has her sit in her lap, even though the dog weighs about seventy pounds. I believe the dog likes me more than anyone else in the house, but that’s through no fault of my own. I’m not a dog person. I haven’t been since I was a kid, but the damn dog won’t leave me alone.
Wash came along next. Honestly, we got wash because the shelter was giving away cats for nine bucks, and who wouldn’t want to buy a cat at that price. Wash is aloof. Nothing affects him. His need and desire for affection is fleeting, and if he notices you noticing him giving you affection, it stops. He’s my favorite. As much as this cat could have a favorite, I suppose I might be his.
Fred and Xander came together, in that we got the dog, Fred, and the cat, Xander, at the same time. Fred is small and pathetic and, if you look her in the face, she looks creepily like a little Jewish man. I think we’ve had her for six months, and she still runs away anytime I come near her. Doesn’t stop her from sleeping right next to me on the bed, slowly pulling the blankets off my body.
Xander we got, honestly, because he’s the softest cat we’ve ever felt. I assumed that I would be his favorite and he mine. Somehow, no. Xander is not mean in any way, but he doesn’t understand play, at least not play with people. I have claw marks on me every day. Strangely enough, Tatiana and Xander are the best of buds. She picks him up and carries him around as if he were one of her dolls. If Katy or I did that, we would both be marked up. He’s walking around the house right now, meowing because she’s not here. He’s looking for her, but she’s visiting her mother and won’t be here until next week. I shudder to think how he’ll respond in the summer when Tatiana spends much of the summer away.
Too many pets.
