Over the years, I’ve attempted to take in or care for cats when other people couldn’t. I counted the other day, and I’ve tried to take in nine. It doesn’t always work out.
There’s always some self-righteous judgmental person who attacks people like me, “Pets are forever!” Yeah, but no. Sorry, I don’t see it that way at all. I think there’s a huge difference between re-homing an animal or returning it to the shelter because it’s not working out, compared to dropping it off in the countryside or abandoning it because it peed on your bed. Situations vary. Everyone’s different.
Sometimes love means giving up what YOU want for what’s best for another.
This is Casey. I have a pile of pictures of Casey, because we had her from 2007 to 2011.
Casey was one of our accidental cats. She worked out.
We took her in when she was almost a year old. A friend of mine got a sudden onset of allergies with her new pregnancy, and couldn’t keep her, so I said we’d take her.
She is an intrepid kitty.
Here she is, having climbed the pergola, meowing her head off because she can’t figure out how to get down. The Mister had to rescue her.
Casey is one of those cats who just loves to be outside. She was an indoor-outdoor cat. (People judge that too.) Casey once took a two-day vacation and we were NOT happy about it.
It drove her crazy when the kids went outside and she couldn’t be with them. She roamed frequently, and always came home. She absolutely guarded the children and the house like a dog would. She also played fetch.
She’s a good hunter. I assume she liked to supplement her meals with fresh game.
If she wasn’t in, I called for her before I went to bed at night, but usually I’d find her as soon as I opened the door. This is Casey telling us she wanted to come back in.
Quirky things about Casey:
Tattling: This is a cat who will alert you to any number of things, like how another cat is trapped in the linen closet, or how there’s a package at the door, or how water is running in the kids’ bathroom. Seriously.
Bringing down dirty laundry: This is a cat who will drag pieces of clothing into the living room and meow to you about it. If you wait long enough, she’ll bring all the stray socks. With only her six-pound frame and her front teeth, she can even bring a pair of men’s jeans downstairs, and who doesn’t like to see a cat pull a bra out of the hamper and drag it into the living room during a party?
Rubbing herself all over purses, backpacks, and baby bags. She’s especially fond of True’s things, perhaps because lotsa kid and animal smells.
We didn’t decide so much not to keep Casey in 2011 so much as we decided to gift her. (More judgement.) FIL had such an affinity with Casey. She looked like this cat his father had had, and because of that, he kept calling her Tiger. Whenever he interacted with her, there was something about his face that reminded me of Bubba’s happy five-year-old face, and with each visit, this happiness only grew.
Cats choose their people, you know.
My mother taught me that. You don’t take the cat you want, you take the cat who chooses you. Even still, when you bring them home, they may choose someone else. They claim their humans.
My in-laws had cats before, but since the second one passed, they hadn’t had a cat in over a decade. FIL commented now and again how much he missed having a cat, but MIL was not in favor of another one.
I told him he should take her home. I told them to talk about it and decide. She was spayed, she wasn’t prone to hairballs, never made a mess, she wasn’t a picky eater, and she had her front claws out. (More judgment.)
They took her back to Indiana with them the following day.
Casey is very happy in her ‘new’ ‘fourth’ home. — From kitten in a box, to my friend’s house, to our house, to The Palace of Rules — She’s completely spoiled. She’s got FIL wrapped around her dew claw, demanding her food on schedule, and alerting him to his neglect, how cats do.
“Excuse me. I see you’re reading a book, but I am going to walk on your book and rub my face on you now. Look at meee, I’m so pretty and fluffy! Don’t you want to brush me?”
She was never much of a lap cat at our house, but she loves to be in FIL’s lap.
She is beloved.
She now sports a rhinestone collar with a bejeweled tag.
When they take trips, they always have someone go over to check on and feed Casey. Sometimes us — We enjoy visiting her, for any reason.
She enjoys clicking at the birds from the sunroom and chasing the paths of critters from window to window.
She still tries to escape outdoors. When we arrive, “Watch for Casey!” is yelled out before a hello. It’s almost always our girls who catch her and bring her back in, because it’s almost always our girls who let her out.
She still tattles. MIL told me just last week, Casey told her the phone was ringing. MIL had the ironing out, and her music on. I was calling her cell phone, and Casey cried and cried. She’d look at MIL and look at the plant shelf, back and forth with the crying. Finally, Casey attempted to point to the phone. Tattle tale kitty!
Casey was absolutely the most interesting cat we ever took in.
We were delighted to have her, but we’re also delighted for placing her elsewhere.
Do you want to express your outrage or are you smiling inside?
joeyfullystated 
That kitty sounds really fun and smart. And she got got to live in some great homes. Now I want a cat to help me with laundry.
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Right? That’s what I’d say! “Give her the afternoon, and I won’t even have to go GET the laundry!” Heh.
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Meoooooow.
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Casey sounds like the best kind of cat! So cute about her dragging the laundry around. It’s so true that cats chose their humans, and you feel so darn special when they chose you. 🙂
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I am smiling.
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Thank you!
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I have only smiles and happy thoughts about Casey, you and the fam, and FIL and MIL, Joey. Sounds right to me.
Now, prompter, me and my first cat: When Elisabeth was in elementary school, we got Dusty. He was a really independent cat. I was more of a dog person, but Dusty won me over. Alas, the divorce came, and Dusty went with Elisabeth and her mom. But the trailer house I moved to in the nearby rural fields (owned by my sister, affordble rent) had many, many mice. Dusty came back to me. (Judging begin.) Dusty loved going in and out into the dairy farmland, and meeting the cows! And he loved placing all the house-caught mice at the foot of my recliner, so proud of himself. When I moved back into the city of Syracuse after meeting to-be-my-dear-wife-Karen, Dusty moved back with Elisabeth and her mother and was still quite happy. (More judging.) I made sure to sit on the steps and give him a long scratch every time I came to pick my daughter up and drop her off. Dusty lived there quite happily until passing away just last year, when Elisabeth was 24.
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Wow! Sounds like a nice long life for a cat! Ya gotta love when they bring you their kills. They’re so proud, lol!
Thanks for sharing a cat story, Mark!
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You didn’t mention her babies!! ❤
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Lots of kitties do that, tho 🙂
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No outrage here. Sounds like Casey is right where she was meant to be. And she found her perfect lap, too.
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Thanks, Carrie — I certainly agree 🙂
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I’m right with Carrie (and you). Sometimes animals pick their people and you just go go with that. 🙂
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nope. Life requires decisions that aren’t always popular but are necessary for the people involved. No judgment here whatsoever. We got a digger dog….we are having issues….lol
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Oh yeah? Aw, that sucks. Have you tried filling her holes with her poo? Sounds awful, but it often works if they’re just digging for fun. Some dogs just do not care and will dig anyway…*sigh*
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This did make me smile inside. You mentioned that “cats choose their owner” that is so true. I’m glad Casey and FIL are happy together – it doesn’t get any better than that.
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Smiling on the outside. I love how you kept saying the word judgement, but really isn’t the world full of enough judgement? You are right to just dismiss the idea. This story made me so happy. I am a dog person and have never cared for cats, but they sure do like me. I know because I can’t go into many houses owned by cats without them clinging to me! How wonderful to care for a being until its real family is found, and such a gift to the humans as well.
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Thank you for your support. I really DO think that the world has enough judgment, and people are so quick to chime in with more.
I’ve been criticized for all of the above, as eluded to. Quite frankly, I think some of the animal rights people are out of their heads, lol!
Cats always love the people who least like them, because ignoring a cat proves you’re not a threat to them, and makes you more approachable. 🙂
Thank you for your kind words.
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Smiling. Casey sounds amazing. I witnessed my dad’s cat also tattle tale when the dogs were left outside. She meowed by the door until my father, the excellent pet owner that he is (sarcasm…his last cat died because my dad refused to put him in the hospital as the vet recommended, and the one before that got eaten by a coyote because my dad thought it was not dangerous to let the thing out in the desert), got the message and opened the dogs, proclaiming: “isn’t she amazing.” I had to agree.
I gave up a cat because it peed outside the box, all the time. The vet kept telling me it was not behavioral for a year and a half, until he admitted there was no other explanation. I felt bad, but also relieved. The cat was skittish, and never would have chosen us. My husband was thrilled.
Your story makes me want a cat again, but, unfortunately, my husband is petrified of all animals so this is not an option. Oh well. Maybe one will wander up, and my husband will suddenly do a 360, yelling “yes, we must keep it. It chose us you know!” NOT!
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Peeing in the box is something you can train most cats to do, but not all. It’s so instinctive for them to scratch and bury. Sometimes it’s really hard with cats that’ve lived outside. I had to train a barn kitten once. It was successful, but I wouldn’t have given it a year and a half. She would have become an outdoor cat.
After making sure it wasn’t medical and trying all the different litters and boxes, what else is there?!?
I’d be mad at my vet, I would.
Thank you for sharing your stories, Elizabeth 🙂
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I think that is awesome that you help out and then find a home for them. 🙂 We tend to get talked into pets too. Most of the time they work out but there has been a few that didn’t but we found them a better home than what we could do for them. 🙂 Cats are so funny. We have three right now with different personalities and yes they want fed when they want fed. LOL….No judging here. 🙂
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Thank you kindly 🙂
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I try not to judge … try to be more aware of pros and cons or ‘each to his own’ acceptance as opposed to judging …
My sister and nieces have ‘traded’ cats several times. It certainly works for all involved !
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Oh yeah? Sounds kinda cute, trading cats ^_^
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Ooh love your clever little cat-icon 🐱
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I don’t have emojis on my laptop >^_^<
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You just made me go “awwwwww” and get all mushy inside with a pet story. I’ll judge you for that! 😉 Lovely story, truly.
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Aw… What a sweet ending. Our 4th cat was my son’s. We had to watch her for over a year and then he decided not to take her back because he knew it would be cruel to her and to us. She’s hubby’s favorite cat.
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I am smiling; what a lovely story! I think it was great that you looked after Casey until she was ready to go and live with your in-laws. Everybody is happy now – and you still get to see her. 🙂
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I smiled as I read your post. My favorite sentence is also one that several readers like too, I noticed.
“Cats choose their people, you know.”
How true! Even within a family they do pick a special someone. Mine picked one of my kids and although she was close to the six of us, she always had a special place in her heart for my younger daughter.
I love cats and I love Casey and her story.
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Thank you 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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