This be Thisbe

As she sits here right in front of me staring at the cursor on the monitor, I still can't believe that I actually have a kitten in my life. The thought of one day owning a cat was like owning a gerbil, I had no interest or knowledge of such little creatures and had proudly always considered myself a "dog person". I got my dog for Christmas when I was in the second grade and he stayed with us until I was well into my sophomore year of college- then my mom called me and said he had to be put to sleep. That was a depressing day. Years later I got another dog, but my point is that I've always believed that a dog- not a cat, would be forever in my life. I thought dogs were cooler and way more "real" than cats. Cats were boring, no fun, too finicky, un-trainable, aloof, and just plain useless. I used to believe people that owned cats fit into one of three categories: dog haters, old people or single folks that need company- and cats would be easy companions. I couldn't ever fathom the use of a litter box or itsy- bitsy food bowls; I used to believe, cats won't greet me at the door, or play ball or listen when I speak to them. They sleep all day, under a bed or in a closet and only come out to eat. Cats were pointless. Wow, was I ever wrong and sheepishly take back every word.

My cat Thisbe is so beautiful and intriguing she blows my mind. With her little ear tufts sticking out, her long whiskers, her perfect little features, soft sweet purrs, "new snow" white paws and long fluffy tail - she's perfect. She's a foot and a half long and foot high... she has a head that fits in the palm of my hand so perfectly and a belly so clean,white and pure it's like ivory soap. Thisbe is actually and thankfully, the coolest cat I have ever met or ever imagined a cat to be. When she wants to play there's no denying her and she relentless in her pursuit. And most of he time I'm loving every minute of that. She fills our home and fills up my heart...and time.The decision to bring a little kitty into our home was a very challenging one and a decision I was not ready to make. But as time passed and there became a void in my life - no animals, I started to open my mind and without warning, my heart followed. When our dog Blitzen passed about 4 years ago, we found ourselves in a position where due to location and time constraint, a puppy would not be an option; but the desire of owning a pet was overwhelming and all consuming. I became desperate to have a dog in my life again but the pain became so torturous it felt almost strangely wrong. When I finally came to the conclusion, with much convincing that maybe it wasn't just a dog I was so desperate for, but more simply a pet I could take care of and love, within that grew my openness to bring a kitty into my life.

The day we visited her in her foster home she wanted nothing to do with us. She had three little brothers and two sisters- none of which looked like her at all. They were only seven weeks old, and the tiniest, cutest little critters I had ever seen that close up. We had looked at potential other kittens as well before this but none of the experiences felt anywhere near as meaningful as this one. The kittens were so full of energy it was difficult to corral any of them, especially the one I wanted to grab the most. But we managed to scoop them up one by one as they playfully scurried by. All but Thisbe, who was at the time being called "Marble" because of her coloring. There was also a dog in this foster home and Thisbe seemed to be more interested in him instead of any human strangers that were in her house. I kept my eye on her because she was just so cute but for some unexplained reason I was definitely drawn to her energy more so than the others. When we had made the decision to adopt a kitty, I was very concerned that we wouldn't get "a good one", or that it would grow up and not be cute any more-just cat like. I was worried because with a cat you just never know- again, they're not dogs. Everyone told us not to worry because the kitty will choose you. So we waited and played and laughed.... and eventually cried. When I couldn't accept Thisbe's avoidance any longer I decided to get up and search for her; I found her obsessed with the door of the room where the dog had been put and she virtually ignored my presence. As I grabbed her, she let out the sweetest softest meow I had ever heard, so I reluctantly put her down. I continued to play with and tried to imagine owning any one of the other kitties, but I was still stuck on the one that was being called Marble, so I attempted to grab her again- this time she was eating. I scoped her up and brought her over to the couch and showed her little sweet face to my partner. I remember saying, "I like this one". My partner kind of had her mind set on Thisbe's little sister, who was a jet black, domicile little fuzz ball. She was sweet, but Thisbe was cuter and seemed a little tougher, which is exactly what I was after.

When we went out to the car to discuss first and foremost if we really wanted to do this and then which one we wanted, our emotions came streaming out. We were crying like little six year olds. In the house were five little, furry balls of life and one of them was going to be ours; the actual thought of it was overwhelming. They were so little and new to the world and their mom had abandoned them- physically and emotionally. I knew as difficult as it was to accept the fact that I was adopting a cat instead of a dog, there was no doubt in my mind that we were doing the right thing. We decided it was going to be Thisbe that would make the trip home with us because we trusted that she was the "right" one for us. So we went back in the house armed with our kitty carrier and inner strengths to whisk her away from all that chaos. Within seconds of entering, Thisbe was in her carrier and out the door- no belongings and no looking back. When we told the foster mom which one we had chosen she said "oh, she's a lover!" Unfortunately we had a forty-five minute drive home and Thisbe cried the entire way. She was killing us. All we could think about was the fact that we just snatched her away from all that she knew and from all the family she had. It felt like she was miserable and scared; we were the scared ones who didn't know what the hell to do. Eventually after we got her home and situated in her new surroundings she bonded with us in such a strong way our hesitation around taking her was quickly suppressed.

Two years later, she's still the cutest, coolest, toughest, most playful "dog like" cat I had imagined and hoped she would be. Having a cat in the house has totally taken away my desperate need to have a dog, and has only enhanced my admiration for them. I've actually always thought it was so cool to have both. Thisbe plays hard and often, understands the word "no", listens to me when I talk to her, misses us when we're gone, greets us when we come home, knows the sound of our cars and runs to the window to take a look; she has broken all the stereotypes of cats, dissolved all of my beliefs, plays fetch and hide and seek, she knows her name and answers to a whistle...just like a dog. Thankfully because of Thisbe I now have an appreciation for cats that I never knew existed. They are the best little animals and so misunderstood it's ridiculous. As much as we still want a dog in our lives, we now have someone else to consider when that situation arises and I have a feeling she's not going to like it so much. Oh well, like always, we'll discus it and deal. That's going to be a fantastic week.