Saturday, September 1, 2012

Spontaneous Saturday: My Cat Turned Me Into a Cat Person

I never thought I'd be a cat person. I grew up with dogs. Big dogs. German Shepherds. I had very few encounters with cats. Fast forward 15-20 years, and my boyfriend and I found ourselves wanting a pet. A dog was out of the question because we live in a small apartment with no yard. So, 3 years ago we ventured into the SPCA and found this pretty.


Her name is Chara, and when we adopted her she was estimated to be around 4 years old. We renamed her to Chara. My boyfriend is into astronomy, and named her after the star Chara. The star is actually in the constellation Canes Venatici (hunting dogs). Funny, she's named after star in a constellation of dogs! The name Chara means joy in Greek.

Sadly, she was at the SPCA because her previous owner had passed away. Needless to say, her adjustment to a new home along with mourning the loss of her previous home was difficult. It took her close to year to until we really started to see her personality come through and for her to become comfortable in her environment. Next month we will have had her for 3 years, and she's doing great! 

Though, I had pets in the past they were never really MY pets. They always gravitated to my parents. Chara is clearly my cat. Shh, don't tell my boyfriend. She always wants to be near me. She is the sweetest and the mellowest cat. She is just happy with cuddles, pets, food, and sleep. I love her beyond belief. I've definitely become a cat person through her. Though, she is sweet and mellow you can tell she is sassy. She gives you this funny looks when she's annoyed. Cats are so expressive. She has a look for everything, and she is clearly the boss around here. 

Now, I really appreciate cats. I would love to have more. I think 3 would be a good number, but that's just not in the cards right now financially and space wise. That being said, our neighbors have 2 indoor/outdoor cats that like to visit our porch. They are kind of like my cats too! 

This is Kiefer


and this is Kiwi


I love them too, and sometimes I secretly wish my neighbors will be like "Do you want our cats"? I wouldn't even need to think about it! Haha, it's good though this way. I don't have to worry about taking care of them or their expenses, and just get to enjoy them as visitors! 

I also love this Kitty Cam on Ustream. It's a 24/7 cam of the Friends of Felines Rescue Center in Defiance, Ohio. I think I watch almost everyday for a little bit in the background. At night they set up a little kitty playground for the kitties, and it's fun to watch them play and run around! This rescue center does a lot of amazing things for homeless kitties. They have kittens, adults, and many cats with special needs. 


Video streaming by Ustream

Wow, I had no idea I'd write so much about cats. It's clear I've been converted into a cat person! I love dogs too, don't worry it did not flip flop. I do think I prefer cats though. I think our personalities are similar! 

What type of pet(s) do you have? Tell me about them in the comments! 


16 comments:

  1. I have 3 kitties. 1 I bought from a pet store in a college town 9 years ago. I rescued another from the shelter 6 years ago. The 3rd adopted me 5 1/2 years during an extremely snowy bitterly cold winter. She showed up on my outside entrance's deck and threw a fit. Starved, hair ripped out, and scared of everyone. It took her 3 days to come near me at which point I decided I couldn't take her to the shelter. They are little shedding hair monsters and expensive but I love them all.

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  2. I was raised with dogs but always wanted a cat--my dad always said no. Then I got into college and was able to adopt an adorable little fur-demon name Hermes. We changed his name to Hermes just because we liked the mythological reference, but it turns out that he's a little thief and Hermes is the patron god of thieves, so it works. The irony? I'm not living in a different place where we can't afford the pet fee, so he's living with my parents. Dad has warmed up to him quite a bit.

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  3. I couldn't imagine life without my fur kids, although they drive me absolutely crazy at times. My BF was the same as you, grew up with dogs and absolutely a dog person but after nearly 2 years he has conceded that he loves having cats too.


    My friend made a day in the life of video with his cat, Bear which I think you would appreciate:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJJH-KgkvNM

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  4. I've always been a cat person. We have 3 right now: Loki, the gigantic Maine Coon, is the oldest of the bunch. Stevie (an orange tabby) and Jupiter (a tortoiseshell) are litter-mates and my babies. My dad can't stand any of them, but the rest of us overruled him. :-D

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  5. See I'm the opposite, I've had cats my whole life! I feel like cats have sooooo much more personality then dogs do. I have never met two cats that act the same. I have a kitty named Millie who is an adorable demon. We got her from the SPCA when she was 4 months. She is VERY particular with the people she likes and has the biggest personality I have ever seen! She will be three this Christmas. Love of my life <3

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  6. I am soooooo a cat person too! I have two Siberian kittys (cats really, but they are still my kittys) hehe. Anyhoo I share your love for both nail polish and cat! hehe

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  7. LOL, I grew up with dogs too, and then one day a feral kitten was caught in some fishing bet, hopelessly entangled, and I had the help it of course. I found out from where it came, and I started feeding the feral mom and her kittens. Not long after that a stray cat decided to adopt us, and since then we have had cats.
    Cats do that to you ;)

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  8. I grew up with a mixture of dogs (big & little) and cats! My mom currently has three dogs & FIVE cats. Some people think it's nuts - but it's such a happy home. All the cat's and dog's have different personalities. I have a dog, but I have wanted a cat for so long - but my husband is allergic! So I live vicariously through my Mom's cats :)

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  9. I could have written this myself. Grew up with dogs and never had a pet that was truly my own, etc. etc. One day last October, my husband came home with a cat. It had met him at his car door in our driveway. He was clearly starving and homeless. We fed him everyday all week and by Friday I was in love. He's my little buddy now and no longer starving *snorts* he's actually on a diet. =) Last March, we brought home another cat from the shelter so he could have a friend. They have brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for sharing you story. =)

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  10. Chara is so pretty- I love her colouring. And by the sounds of her personality, I think I'd like her. It's great that you adopted her- a lot of people only want to adopt kittens, so it's nice to see this kind of adoption. I was always more of a "cat" person, especially as a child I loved them (I grew up on a grain farm, and we had several "farm cats", which were mostly outdoor cats, and I adored them all). I actually grew to like dogs just more recently (kind of the reverse of you). Thank you for sharing this story!

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  11. She's sooo pretty! My male cat Iron looks exactly like her :) I also have a female cat, Pulce (flea) and she's white and gray. I love cats, I can't imagine my life without a couple of those furry babies walking around the house. <3

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  12. I'm totally a cat person! I LOVE my dog like crazy, but there is just something about cats! And "my" cat in particular. Having 3 cats, I definitely have a favorite and it usually shows!

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  13. I had dogs AND cats growing up so I really love both. But for the last 20 years I've lived in apartments so no dog for me; but I've had cats. A few years ago I had to put my companion of 14 years (Kitty) down and it was so horrible. Then along came Abby... She was from a shelter too. We were actually looking at another cat initially but that one wouldn't even come out of it's cage to meet us. Abby jumped out of hers and just came over and started rubbing on our legs and we thought she was just the cutest little thing (she has really short stubby little legs). When we first got her she was super skittish, didn't purr, would maybe sit on the cough between us. It has been so amazing watching her blossom with us. Now the second we sit down she's on our lap, she purrs her little head off all the time, she "talks" all the time, I just love her to pieces! I honestly think that shelter animals are the best; they know they've been rescued and don't forget it. Every one I've ever met has been the sweetest animal. So yeah, that's my Abby. And I'm pretty sure she gets REALLY tired of having her picture taken. :)

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  14. Chara is such a pretty cat! I own 2 cats, named Herman and Sjoerd. We always had cats when I was groeing up. Would love to have a doggie too but not as long as we are both working full time.

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  15. Wow, Chara is gorgeous - I don't see many cats that look like that all the time. It was very nice of you to take her home with you. :)


    I also really like the colouring of Kiwi, your cute little visitor. ;)


    Although I like dogs, I've always been a cat person. They're really affectionate and expressive. Haha, and sometimes they're very clever...a bit too clever and get us to do their bidding.


    I've only ever had 3 cats. When I was little, I got my first one (Tiger), and he was the most docile, chill cat, ever, with soooo much patience. He'd sit in the same room with you and wouldn't leave until you did. He was so loyal, and I used to bring out my tea set, fill the cups with water, place them on saucers, and spoon feed my cat the water and pretend he was the prince at the tea party with my dolls. ;) Oh, when you're a kid, the things you do!


    When he passed away, we got a kitten (Angel), but shortly after ended up giving her to a relative who really wanted a cat. They still have her now, and she's happy with them in her old age.


    Then, my parents and I inherited our third cat (Pingu) from my brother and sister-in-law, who moved to a new place and were just planning on dumping poor Pingu to the shelter. Because there's not much space at the Human Society, I thought that they might just put Pingu to sleep, so I asked my parents if we could give him a trial period and maybe keep him. We did. Years later, I moved out, but my parents kept Pingu, and I get to see him whenever I visit my mom now. :) He has quite the personality!

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