Odd Thing

My parents, who don't like cats, reported to me that the two black cats
their neighbors own provide them with endless entertainment.

Cheryl...

That's so sweet! My parents are retired, and the only pets they've
had as a married couple are a dog (Charlie Brown the Begal, and
Fluffy, the cat that lived to 21 years old to spite my non-cat
lover father). Now that all of us have been moved out for years
and years, my mom misses having an animal around. My brother, my
sister and I all have multiple pets, and Mom comes to visit to see
the animals as much as she comes to see us. Our dad, though,
doesn't miss slavehood at all. Shamrock is one that notices this,
and takes it upon himself to prove that lack of owners in his own
home does not make him exempt of slavehood, and proves it each time
Dad is here in my house. Shamrock literally forces himself on my
dad's lap every time he's here, never lets him forget the owner of
this house. LOL Back to Mom's love of animals - there are several
indoor/outdoor cats in their neighborhood, and my dad knows where
they all live even though they spend a lot of time in his yard. ;)

The cats press their faces up against the window at night, providing them
with a view of golden eyes since it's dark outside. Mom said it's kind of
spooky. She said Dad laughs at them. The wander around on the patio,
chasing lizards.

Mom said one was rolling around in the grass the other night, belly up, and
she *almost* felt like she should run outside and tickle that fuzzy tummy!
I said "do it!"

At 81 years old, I doubt Mom will become a cat owner, and Dad always said
don't you dare bring a cat in here! But in their dotage they are enjoying
the black cats that live next door. I think it's funny.

Of course, Dad told me not to bring a dog into his house but when I got
divorced and had to move back in (when I was 24) I brought Sampson (RB) with
me. He wound up loving that little mutt dog and playing on the floor with
him. And mom was cooking the dog eggs for breakfast after I left for work.
So you just never know :)

Winnie...

When my parents first moved into their house, my brother planned to
take Mom to the Humane to get a cat. But my Dad said no cat or he moved
out. Turned out there was this black & white cat Scruffy who lived in
the neighbourhood. He often came over to my parents backyard and
wormed his way to their hearts. When the neighbour moved away, she let
Scruffy stayed behined with my parents. Dad loved Scruffy, who lived
with them for
about 9 years before he disappeared. But it was Mom who took care of
Scruffy all those years. I miss that cat too.

Jo Firey...

My mom never liked cats. With an exception of course for ours after Sam
staked out her lap on her first visit and basically said "like me or else".
An attitude she was familiar with.

Many years later when she was starting to have mental lapses she began
talking about her cat. Now at the time she was in an independent living
facility and about ready for a move to assisted living. We took the cat
with a large pinch of salt. But she sounded so convincing when she talked
about it.

When I went to visit I stopped by the on site beauty shop and was talking to
the woman who did mom's hair. Turns out she has a cat that she brings to
work because the cat likes the residents and for the most part the residents
are fond of the cat. My mother in particular. To the point where when the
hairstylist had to go out of town for a few days, the cat had been staying
with my mom. And had done so on many occasions.

Don't ever think you really know your parents.

Monique Y. Mudama...

So true. Mom and I were talking about Dad's impending visit. She
said that she was so glad that he and I would be getting some time
together. I admitted that I had been a little worried about how she
would feel. "Oh, you should know me better than that!"

Should I?

Well, regardless, I'm glad she's not only okay with it, but happy
about it. She said dad is really excited and has been talking about
it already ... "Can't believe it's less than three weeks!"

He has a senior's pass to Rocky Mountain National Park, too, so I am
going to look for some neat trails there. Much cheaper than if I were
to go by myself.