My Cats: Daisy and Sunshine

Let's try a lighter subject today, my cats. Have you ever been bossed around by an animal? Cats can do it. Their trick is to just sit and stare at you, until you realize that they want something. Once you get up to walk, they lead the way, nose-rubbing each piece of furniture between you and their intended destination. Destination? Could be the food tray (one of their favorites) or an outside door--they keep going to a different door if the weather is inclement, because they think it will be different at a the other door--, a faucet of the tub for a drink, or simply upstairs to the guest bed so you can pet and rub them. Cats need love too!

Daisy is up above, and she has a calm temperament. Daisy is about 8 years old, and she "picked" me for her new home when I was out looking at a tree farm. I had lost "Crook" our 20 year old cat about two years prior, and Daisy must have known I was an easy target. She was about 8 months old at the time, and she just came over from the weeds (she was a stray) and jumped on my lap while she purred up a storm. It was cold, so I put her inside my jacket, and we went home. She has never left since.

She does have some strange habits. She figured out, long ago, that I usually have a glass of ice water on my bedside table, and she discovered the pleasure of drinking ice  water. So it's not unusual for her to leap up on the table and begin drinking from my glass--it immediately becomes her glass. She also needs a lot of loving, and she will "lead" me up stairs to the guest room, leap onto the bed, and "ask" me to pet her with a nice long back rub. I can't resist those eyes and that purr. What a darling cat.

Daisy is not aggressive, and she will watch Sunshine  go after a mouse. Indeed, when Sunshine was about 4 months old, I watched as Daisy catch a mouse, bring it over to Sunshine, and set it on the floor in front of her. Then she just  watched as little Sunshine had a "cat and mouse game" with the present.

Sunshine, now, is a bit different. She is about three years old now, and she still has a bit of wildcat in her. We have a cat door, so they both can go outside when they want (helps with the kitty litter problem), and Sunshine takes full advantage of this. She is a hunter: birds (sorry) lizards, moles, mice....dogs, not quite.

The other day, Sunshine caught three mice (I discovered the corpses in the morning). I think, I hope she goes outside at night and fines them. I can tell, though, that she is getting a softer personality as she ages: she doesn't go after Daisy quite as much, and she lets us pet her more now, and doesn't "attack" us because we have aroused her "crazy chip." You know, when you pet a cat they will sometimes grab you with their claws and start to fight.

Either way, they are both part of the family now, and they are great cats. I believe cats have a special purpose besides entertaining us, and giving us love and affection. I think they are here to teach us about separation and loss. Losing a pet from death is a real loss. It hurts. I think it hurts because they  become a valued member of the family, and they get into your soul. I find it hurtful the way some people treat animals. They are helpless in some ways, and when they die (they have a short life span) it gives us the "opportunity" to feel profound loss. I have had that experience, and I will have it again when I lose Daisy or Sunshine. For now, I'm just going to continue to spoil them, and they will continue to train me to satisfy their wants. What a life.