In Praise of Cats

I've loved cats all my life. It's been my pleasure to be the Keeper of cats over the years. I have been the keeper of rescued cats since 2002. Notice I didn't say "owner" because nobody owns a cat. As the saying goes, "dogs have owners, cats have staff." I am utterly captivated by these sleek, beautiful, graceful and mysterious little beasts. Of course they're all rotten to the core, but still irresistibly loveable...
It began when I was six: a big, fluffy tuxedo adopted our family, just slinked right in and made himself at home. I was hooked. In my Air Force years and long afterwards I lived vicariously through other people's cats. But when I did get a cat, I always adopted them from shelters or off the street.

Rynata and I met little Millie and silver & white tuxedo Charlie on a morning walk. Millie followed us all the way into the house and stayed. When Charlie regularly visited Millie through the screen door, it was clear they should be together. Eventually Rynata and I went separate ways, and the cats came with me. Cancer took them both by 2018.

I arranged to adopt brother and sister kittens from a FixNation volunteer. Felicia and Fritz were born in the high desert and put into the cat adoption pipeline. Four years later they still play like kittens, and Felicia washes her brother's face and head several times a day. We are the happiest of families.