As you may know, I love cats. But I haven’t always been a cat lover.
When I was very young, about 5 years old, we adopted a cat named Kirby from a neighbor who was moving across country and couldn’t take their cat with them. He was sooo cool. He ended up getting very sick with throat cancer, so we had to put him to rest. I remember it was a very sad day.
When I was about 10 years old, we brought home a puppy English Springer Spaniel named Kermit. He was such a happy dog. He loved roaming the woods around the house I grew up in. Eventually, while my brother, sister and I were away at college, my mom got injured, and we had to give him to a family who could take better care of him. I never saw him reach old age or get sick.
Many years later, I had a yellow labrador named Jake. He was a hunter and a free spirit. But he was also a great companion. He used to love riding in the front passenger seat of my car. I had a lot of good times with him. But I left that home before he reached old age, so he was active and healthy when I had to say goodbye.
I always thought I was a dog lover. When I met Dave, I started to learn more about cats from him. He had always been a cat lover.
We adopted two cats in 2002, Angel the mom and Callie one of her kittens. They have been part of our family for 12 years. Losing Angel this past weekend was really heart-breaking.
But we still have Callie. So indulge me while I tell you about Callie:
Callie has a few nicknames in our house – Calsters, Callie the kitten (she’s 12 now but still acts like a baby), Cat, and Baby Piglet.
She is so much fun to have around. She loves to sit on my lap.all.the.time. She follows me around like a shadow. She is a good mouser, finding mice when they get into our basement. She’s not interested in any people food, but she loves to lick the salt off chips and popcorn. She loves to do big paws, aka kneading, on her fleece blanket. She loves to lay on my clothes. She loves to sit in boxes. She talks a lot. (for a cat)
I would love to be a crazy cat lady and adopt more cats. But Callie is quite territorial, so we will embrace being a one-cat house, taking turns spoiling her.
It’s amazing how these little creatures can really capture your heart. If you’re not a cat lover, or even a pet / animal lover, I’m sure you can appreciate the love and affection people have for their pets. So thanks for listening.
Terri's Notebook 
Hello Terri,
Some great memories of your past pets. Love the cat photo’s.
Happy days.
Bev.
Thanks so much Bev. I do have a lot of great memories of the few pets I’ve lived with over the years. Even more of our kitties Angel and Callie.
Hi Terri, I’m so sorry for your loss. Angel was the most beautiful cat. It’s difficult to loose our dear friends and to get used to lie without having them around. Wonderful that you have Callie who is also part of Angel. x Teje
Thanks so much Teje! I know you appreciate what it’s like to be a pet lover, dogs and cats! Angel has the sweetest personality, so we miss her terribly. She was gentle and snuggly and silly. We’ve mentioned quite a few times how wonderful it is to have Callie, who is a part of Angel. xo
As in your story about your earlier animals, our Foxy was first from all my pets that I had till very old age and till she died. I still miss her so much but Nero and Hanna keep me busy and it helps. x Teje
Thanks for sharing Teje. I remember Foxy! It’s always fun watching your adventures with Nero and Hanna. It’s great to have this in common with each other.
Ayden is a HUGE animal lover as am I. Hubby likes dogs and fish. I think we were cat people until we had such bad luck with them as a pet lol
First cat we ever had was for about the first 3 years of our marriage. He was a house cat and took off several times outside at one point in his life. He snuck on the roof of our duplex several times and then one day never came home:( Next cat was a black one and boy did he live up to his color (even though I am not really superstitious ever!). He got into anything and everything when we were working. One time he peed all over our comforter on our bed. Needless to say we had to part ways. The third cat was a orange tabby that talked A LOT! He was a really good kitty. I was the one to usually clean the litter box so when I found out I was pregnant with Ayden we decided to get rid of the cat. Hubby was always gone at work or deployed somewhere so he really didn’t have the time to help either. Since then we stay away from cats! Ayden loves them,but I think his boxer dog keeps him content thankfully and my hubby’s saltwater fish hobby:):) I still like cats as well, but I know that they just aren’t for our family anymore. Maybe when I am old and grey someday. I have always wanted a bunny though too! lol I am sure Ayden would enjoy that too;)
Oh yeah, I forget, scooping a litter box is not a good idea for pregnant women. Glad to hear you ended up with a good kitty after all that. Fun to hear about adventures with your boxer dog and saltwater fish.
Sorry I went blabbering on about my experience I also wanted to say I can understand the extensive LOVE that we have for our pets and I know that when that day comes to say goodbye to our boxer we will mourn him dearly. Especially Ayden. He is very sensitive to animals needs and their love for him and vice versa.
May Callie have many more years in your family. She sounds like an entertaining girlie!
Thanks Sara. Callie is quite entertaining and a great companion throughout the day. She’s 11 so I hope we have many more years with her. It’s heart breaking when you have to say goodbye, so cherish each and every moment you have together. (You don’t need me to tell you that 😉
The only time I’ve been without a pet was in college as I lived in a dorm situation. It was hard to be without one. My mom and I lost the dogs I grew up with during that time. I know how special Angel must be to you, and I hope Callie will give you a lot of cuddly comfort.
Good point, it is hard to be without a pet, especially if you’ve always had a pet. Thanks so much for your comfort.
It’s been so lovely to read your pet stories and memories of past furry friends. Although you are missing sweet Angel terribly it is lovely to see so many pictures of her and Callie and to smile at Callie’s funny ways. She looks so gorgeous and cute in the photos. My heart goes out to you friend but I also know you appreciate and cherish not only your memories but also the little fur-ball who you are still blessed with. Give her a head rub from me xx
Thanks so much Shell. It was therapeutic to write this post, so I appreciate your interest in reading about my furry babies. We have laughed and cried a lot looking through all our kitty photos over the past couple days.
I’d be lost without my fur baby contingent. Currently, we have five cats, one 106- pound Labrador, a standard poodle houseguest, and my brother’s lab coming for six weeks! Thanks for sharing your pet stories.
I love hearing about all your fur babies, Beth! Sounds like a fun place to live. Good for you for taking care of so many wonderful animals.
And my sympathies on your loss. They sure leave a big blank spot, don’t they?
Thank you so much, Beth. That means a lot. I miss Angel constantly, so I am cherishing my time with Callie even more.