Animals.

This is Josie!

     This morning, and every Wednesday morning, I head up the road to Lakefield to volunteer at the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society.  From 8ish until 11ish I clean kitty condos, empty litterboxes, re-make kitty beds, clean floors, dole out dry and wet food and fresh water, and generally surround myself with kitty love for a few hours.  Teams of three or four people do this every morning - not for pay, but for the love of animals.  

And here's Julian!
Good luck in your new
 home, old buddy.

     Some days we finish quickly and have enough time to actually play with the cats - particularly the kittens.  There's nothing like having a tiny kitten purring against your chest, or playing with your hair.  One of my kitty-friends, Josie, likes to jump on your back when you bend over to pick things up off the floor.  Another friend, Audi, is almost too big to hold but he still loves to be picked up and cuddled.  Today when I went in I looked for big Julian - a huge, white, fluffy cat who had lost the tips of his ears and tail to frostbite, and a favourite of the volunteers - to find he'd found a forever home since last week.  I was sad, but so glad for him!


     I have always had pets.  When I was about 6 we got our first cat - Tippy (so named either for the way she walked on her tippy-toes, or because she had rings on the tip of her tail - it depends who you ask).  Tippy lived with us until I was in my late teens, at which point she got sick and we had to put her to sleep.  Tippy was replaced by Buddy, a grey tabby, and then Penny was added to the menagerie - our first ginger kitty.  Penny was so small and young when we got him that we couldn't tell if he was male or female, and he had to be lifted into and out of the litterbox because he was too little to get in himself.  Then when Buddy ran away, we got Toby to keep Penny company.  Toby was such a slug that he would allow himself to be carried in the pocket of a bathrobe, or draped around one's shoulders.  Unfortunately Toby was not well and he only lived for a few years.  Penny, on the other hand, lived to the ripe old age of 18, and only passed away a year ago last fall.  By that point, Penny had become my cat and he lived with Earl and I in our 14th floor apartment in Toronto - quite a change from his earlier years as King of the Hunt when we lived in Muskoka!  

The incredibly handsome (and well-loved)
Turkey and Monkey.

  When we lost Penny, Earl and I knew we wouldn't be long without a new kitty friend or two - the house was just too empty.  We began searching, and within a week we found the perfect pair - twin brothers who were rescued from a house overrun by cats in Kitchener.  They were 8 weeks old, and the most beautiful and friendly little things we'd ever seen.  They were not the first cats we met on our search, but after we met them we knew they needed to come home with us.  We named them Monkey and Turkey, and they are the loves of our lives.  Monkey is thin, anxious, smart, and ever-alert.  He prefers whatever we're eating to his cat food, and rarely sleeps for more than an hour at a time.  He is Earl's special buddy.  Turkey likes to snuggle, sleep and eat.  He has a roly-poly belly and the softest fur I've ever felt.  He's my special friend.

This is not Colby, but looks just like he
did as a puppy.  Awwwwww...

Cats are not the only pets I've had, but they obviously have a special place in my heart.  I have also had fish (too many to name), hamsters (one of whom gave birth to several more the day after I got her for Christmas!), rats (which are almost as nice as cats, which I know might be disputed by some, but they're smart and develop their own personalities) and mice.  I've never had a dog, unless you count Max, a bassett hound my Mom and Dad got when I was little and Mom was pregnant with my sister.  I guess paper-training a puppy, potty-training a child and being preggers was too much for my poor Mom, because she told my Dad one of those things had to go.  I guess I'm glad she chose Max...
     Now I have a nephew-dog, Colby, who belongs to Mamacita and OPPete (my sister and brother-in-law).  He's a golden retriever, and he's lovely.  Sometimes I find dogs too stinky and licky, but I do love my nephew-dog, even when he's just gotten out of the water and does his shaky-dance.


     It's not surprising that people love animals - they give us unconditional love, listen to our woes, and keep us company.  I'm not too proud to admit I've cried into Turkey's soft belly and he puts up with it.  He is the best snuggler I know, and my favourite way to wake up is to look over and see his little face and big eyes peering over the side of the bed.  When he sees I'm awake he jumps right up and gets cozy with me and purrs and I can pet his belly while I transition into being awake.
     Recently at a family dinner someone asked the question "If you could be any animal which would you be and why?".  I answered I'd like to be Turkey so I could spend all day sleeping and eating.  Turned out, this was a question asked at a recent job interview - I'm not sure my answer would have gotten me the job!  But it is interesting to see the difference between cat people and dog people... the animals to which we're most attracted inevitably say something about our personalities.  Not loving animals says something too, but I don't want to offend anyone (particularly my Dad, who would happily live his life without pets but fortunately loved his kids enough to put up with the menagerie).
     So to all of the animals in my life - present, past and future - thanks for making my life better by being a part of it.  Today's post is in your honour.  (And now for a shameless plug - if you live in the Ptbo area, consider making a trip to the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society - there are many cats, kittens and dogs looking for homes, and LAWS can always use volunteers!  Check out their website here:http://www.lakefieldanimalwelfare.org/ )