I think every child ought to have a pet of some sort while growing up. I know everyone probably immediately thinks of a puppy and all the work they are. That is true, but puppies aren’t the only kind of pets one can have.
Growing up we had a lab named Sam. She was the best lab anyone could ask for. I’m sure you’ve had or known dogs similar to our dog Sam. She’d let us kids climb on her and play with her and lay all over her. She was smart too. It was a sad day in the Hocker household when Sam had to be put down.
A few years later, I began riding lessons at a farm not too far from where we lived. My mom and sister would usually accompany me and just sit and wait until my lesson was over. Like most farms, this one had lots of animals, and cats were no exception to that. There was one in particular that seemed to just gravitate towards my sister, Kelly. The lady giving me my lesson jokingly said we could take her home. I think Kelly’s eyes were about the size of saucers as she anxiously glanced at my mom to see what she’d saw. Of course, we heard that answer that no kid really likes to hear, “let’s ask your dad”.
Well, to make a long story short, we ended up with a new cat. Oreo, so aptly named because of she was black and white, was the cat version of our dog Sam. She was the best cat we’ve ever had. Kelly and I would dress her up in doll clothes, and she’d just let us do it, that’s how good of a cat she was.
As with most pets, Oreo got sick and had to be put down as well. It wasn’t long after that we got another cat, this one named Zoiy. Zoiy was a little more temperamental that Oreo and more of your typical cat, elusive, moody, would only put up with so much. But, nonetheless, she was a fun cat to have around.
Eventually Zoiy developed a tumor on her spine and she had to be put down as well. I guess our luck with cats hasn’t been very good huh?
This brings us to the present. Now that both my sister and I have our own households, it was our decision whether or not to get a pet. Both of our husbands are not cat people. They grew up with a dog in their house and were taught cats were ‘bad’. Nevertheless, we both have cats in our homes today.
Our cat’s name is Jack. He’s a mixture of everything and we picked him up at the Humane Society. He’s been a lot of fun and is a lot of company, especially when Jon is away overnight. I know it sounds strange that a cat can bring so much joy, but he really does. He’s got a mind of his own, but he’s definitely a smart cat.
Jack loves warm clothes out of the dryer, drinking straws, playing with bugs, he insists on sleeping with us, and loves to sun bathe. Occasionally I’ll find him sleeping in my closet under my clothes that are hanging up, or sometimes he’ll be sprawled out on the couch like he owns the place. He’s my buddy when I’m reading, working on the computer, or watching TV. He’s been with us since March of 2007 and I’ve already informed him that he’s not allowed to die.
I couldn’t find any particularly outstanding pictures of Jack, but I still wanted to share them with you, so bare with me on the quality. Are you a cat person? Or are you a dog person?
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