Cats are one of God's precious creatures. They are each unique. I have had cats who love being held and cuddled. I have had cats who could not be held, who "hovered" in my life, waiting for food and attention in the form of talking and filling basic needs. I now have 2 half sister Himalayan's who tolerate each other, but vie for my attention all the time. "Martha Stewart" allows me to hold her, but after 4 years, still will not sit in my lap. Go figure. "Annie Armstrong" loves to be held, but you have to force her, or catch her, at first. I do not understand cats! Sometimes I long again for a dog...

Cats are very routine oriented. Do. Not. Change. Anything. Get up at the same time every day, weekday or weekend. Go to the bathroom. Pet the cats. Open the blinds to "Bird TV" ( the bird feeder right outside the window). Go downstairs and make coffee. That really means get the cats their wet food breakfast. Never skip breakfast!

After they "go to work" for a few hours, they are the happiest beings to greet you after a long day. To them it is just a "cat minute", though you may have experienced surgery, a firing of a colleague, being yelled at by a customer, or whatever. To them, you are just returning home to fill their day. They will, of course, sense your mood, and react, but you still need to make them your first priority after returning to the castle.

They do not want you to ever go away. They do not understand the suitcase, or packing, or why you would even think about leaving them. But, if the suitcase is out, they want to go with you.

I love my life with cats. It is one of the things that grounds me. No matter what is going on, my 2 girls are waiting on me to come home. I am their life; they depend on me for everything. And, I will take care of them until the end. They help put things in perspective when work seems a dead end, and when those you love disappoint.