Do you know that song? If so, the line that comes next tells you my definition of a very, very, very fine house. “With two cats in the yard…” For much of our marriage, we’ve had at least one cat in the house, and one memorable summer, we had eleven cats in the yard (life used to be so hard!) thanks to two batches of kittens our stray mama cat, Biscuit, gifted us with as a thank-you for taking her in!
Just a few of the cats we’ve loved: Cleo, Biscuit, Sundae, and Frosty.
When we moved to Wichita, we left our outdoor-only kitty behind with the people who bought our house, knowing she would not like city life. But we’ve missed having a cat ever since.
Enter our daughter and her husband who have two cats, two dogs, and a baby on the way in a two-bedroom house. They decided it might be wise to downsize. And we were delighted to take Melvin off their hands.
We’ve coveted this cat ever since the day they adopted him from the shelter. Just look at that face!
We brought Melvin home two weeks ago and he’s made the adjustment beautifully! (Including the eight-hour ride in the car! He sat on the back seat of our minivan, cool as a cucumber the entire way home!)
This kitty has given us so much joy already! He’s pure entertainment to watch, looks great in our house, cuddly as any cat we’ve ever owned, and just no trouble at all!
In fact, he’s curled up right beside me on the sofa now, helping me write this blog post. 😉
Are you a cat person, a dog person, both, or something else?
Latest posts by Deborah Raney (see all)
- Inspired by Scripture - November 17, 2024
- Writing “The End” - November 11, 2024
- Inspired by Scripture - November 10, 2024
Loved this post, Deb, with all those photos. And now I have a certain song stuck in my head and will be humming it all day. Thanks!
When it comes to pets, I’m a cat and dog person. Love them both. Have one of each at present. But I am an animal lover in general and have a huge passion for horses. Wish I could own one again but I don’t see that in my future. Much more expensive and time-consuming to own than a small dog or cat.
It’s a great song, isn’t it, Robin? 🙂 If it gets stuck in your head too tightly, you could sing a couple verses of “It’s a Small World After All”…that usually does the trick. LOL!
I love watching the adventures of your Pinky and Poppet. Pets just really do add something to a home, don’t they?
As a mom to five cats, I guess you’d say I’m just slightly a cat person! 😉 Melvin is adorable! Love his face too (especially your picture of him drinking from the sink!).
I’d have five cats, too, Jody, if my hubby would allow. I REALLY wanted to bring home our daughter’s other cat, but I’m happy to have at least one. 🙂
I loved reading about and seeing your new addition. What a handsome guy! I love animals in general, but currently am a cat mom to a spoiled tuxedo kitty.
Aren’t tuxedos the best! They all seem to have such great personalities. And so pretty.
Cute post, Deborah. We have three grand-cats and four grand-dogs but none of our own since we travel a lot. But I definitely favor cats.
The traveling is why we hadn’t gotten a cat yet, but we have some great neighbor kids who will not only feed, water, brush, and scoop poop, but also play with Melvin for a few minutes each day so he doesn’t get too lonely.
Sorry – I’m a dog person! We have a wonderful golden retriever named Sally. I’d love to have another golden but two big dogs is a lot of dog!
No apology necessary! LOL! Dogs are lovely too! Wonderful companions God has given us to enjoy!
I’m a dog person but have been known to cuddle with the cats that roam the property where I work.
That is VERY generous when a dog person is willing to touch a cat, Becky! 😉
Every writer needs a cat or ten!
Yes! Or 10! I like the way you think, Nancy! 🙂
I just sneezed ten times! : )
Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you. 😉
I am a cat person. I have a 5-year-old calico and two 8-month-old calico kittens. I went to the humane society to get an adult calico as a companion to the one I had. They had two kittens (sisters) who looked just like her, so I had no choice. I had to take them home. I love all of them. My adult cat is a bit anti-social, but the kittens are very social. It has been fun.
Calicos may be my next favorite markings next to tuxedos. Our mama kitty, Biscuit, was a calico and one of her babies looked a lot like her. I love your story of going in for 1 and coming home with 3! That’s why I can’t even VISIT the humane society! (And that’s why our daughter has a house full of animals!)
You and Melvin look like a match made in heaven! I’ve had some wonderful cats in the past, but these days our family is dog crazy. We LOVE Sam, our 5 year old Cavalier Spaniel.
Dogs and kids are just a wonderful combo!
I love cats! Our home just wouldn’t be the same without our 15-year-old Gracie. I’m so happy that Melvin has made a smooth adjustment to your beautiful home.
So true, Valerie. My husband said, the first day we had Melvin, “The house just seems so much cozier with a cat!” True that! 🙂
Lovely story about cats. You are so creative at giving them names! Now the song is stuck in my head (we have 2 cats in the yard…and in the house, the bedroom, on the roof, on the table…wherever their wild hearts want to roam). 🙂
LOL! Yes, wherever they want to roam. You really don’t train a cat as much as let him train you. 🙂 And for the record, our daughter named Melvin (his shelter name was “Big Mike” LOL!) and she and our other kids also helped name the other cats we’ve loved over the years, so I need to give credit where credit’s due.
P.S. If you wonder why our black cat was named Frosty, when he was a kitten, his fur had little white hairs woven throughout. He really did look like he was “frosted”…but then as he grew, his fur turned all black, and we spent the rest of his 14 years explaining his name to people. 🙂
Love the pictures! I was born a cat lover – started begging for one when I was two. My parents finally gave in when I was 3. I was thankful to marry a man who is not allergic to cats 🙂
That “no cat allergies” might be a prerequisite if I were “interviewing” my husband-to-be today!
I like dogs just fine….but cats are extra special. They rarely slobber, always bathe, and love to quietly snuggle. What’s not to love?
So true! I don’t think anyone could argue that cats are easier than dogs. (Or maybe cat owners are lazier than dog owners?) But they certainly both have their wonderful qualities!
I’m both but allergies keep me from having a cat. Most know about our English mastiffs – now just 1 mastiff, Oliver. I wish I could have a cat, they’re so much easier! And cheaper to feed. lol
Yes, you don’t NEED a cat when you have a mastiff. You don’t need a horse either. Or an elephant! 😉
Admittedly, your Melvin is a handsome guy! But I’m a dog person at heart. Which is helped along by the fact that I’m horribly allergic to cats. :-/ Still, I just connect with dogs better. Cats are so….sneaky! : )
Ah-choo!
I have two cats Mister and Delaney. Mister is all black and Delaney is white and champagne. I am also a dog lover. Actually I just love all animals.
I wish we could share photos in the comments! I’d love to see everyone’s animals and put faces with names.
I may end up in the “doghouse” with my response but that obviously is better than being in the “cathouse”. 🙂 I am neither a dog nor a cat person. I suffered with asthma and severe allergies as a child. When I was administered allergy tests, I ranked quite high on allergies to pet dander. I enjoy reading stories about all kinds of animals but I tend to shy away from direct contact with animals. I outgrew asthma around the age of 12-13, but continued to be plagues with allergy problems. Since smoking was banned from most public buildings, I don’t have as much trouble as I did when there were people smoking in the office. Pets probably would not bother me as much now but I’m at an age where I don’t care to test it.
That was me, too, Edward. Asthma as a kid, then grew out of it at 12. So glad I did, although wheat and hay were the two things that triggered my attacks. Thankfully, I’ve never had a problem with pet dander. Glad you can enjoy pets via reading about them!
I am a cat person now, but never would have thought I would become one, ever. I always had sneezing fits whenever I was around cats, or even if I was in a room where they had been. After my husband passed away my daughter really wanted a cat, which I knew was not going to happen, but I agreed to visit the Humane Society with her “just to look.” I figured I would go, sneeze like crazy, and that would be the end of it. Did not happen. I handled all sorts of cats, not one sneeze or itchy eye. We returned several times as she wanted a kitten, and she finally picked one out. On the way home I thought maybe she could take the kitty with her when she went to college in four years. Well, that was a smart cat. She knew who she had to win over, and it took about 12 hours and I was a goner. It’s been 11 years and that first cat passed away suddenly last year, but I still have 2 little darlings and can’t picture my home without them.
Awww! What a sweet story, Linda! I’m so glad your allergies lifted and let you have those dear feline friends!