Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!

,m yyyyyyyyyy6 (typed by the cat that jumped onto the keyboard)

Let me talk about my cats for a moment. We have two now. One died a while ago. If I've said any of this before just pretend I didn't and act like it's all new and exciting! We have Stripers (grey and black and fluffy) and Suzie (black, not fluffy). When we got them each child had "their own" and Aiden desperately wanted Stripers to be a boy. "Can't we just pretend it's a boy?" he'd plead. Nevertheless, Stripers remained a girl. Suzie, on the other hand, not so much... Let me explain. When our neighbors gave us the cats he told us they were all girls. He was wrong. Emma had a friend over last month and her mother was over. She said," You know Suzie's a boy, right?" Of course I didn't know Suzie was a boy. Do you think I would have named Suzie Suzie if she didn't have Suzie parts? We were paranoid about a kitten population before that let alone actually having a male and a female! Veterinarian clinic, here I come! It's kind of tricky deciding whether or not to spend money on outdoor cats like this because who knows when they'll get run over or eaten by wild animals. It could be a real waste of money! But, the fact is that these cats our great. They're kind and fun and they play all over the yard, running up trees to the tip top and things of that nature. They like us and they try to hop in our car with us. They try to get in the house and they hang on the screen doors and windows looking in at us to say "hi". It's funny. We decided, they're worth it and so is not having to buy loads of cat food for a million kittens.

It's done. Their kitten makers have been removed or cut out or broken or whatever they do! The tricky thing is they're required to stay in the house for ten days. Are they going to climb up my shower curtain? Are they going to pee on my clean clothes like Ben's cats always did growing up? After talking to others around here I came to my own conclusion that they can go outside but for a minimal amount of time. They just have to stay clean and dry. The trick will come when it starts to rain. Will they use the litter box? Will they get stir crazy? I hate litter boxes. That's why I like outdoor cats!

So far we get clawed a bit more than we used to, not out of dislike, just a stretch here and there or a foot swipe underneath the dinner table. They lay around in the warm house absorbing the soft couch and the cozy beds. After I felt a swipe on my lip as I was falling asleep last night I decided to shut all our bedroom doors to prevent any problems or startling claws in the face. I still like our cats but I will be delighted when they can stay outside to their hearts content. I might even let them in the house once in a while... But I haven't talked to the husband about that yet, so...