Life in a Cat House: Confessions of a Multiple Cat Owner

It's a sunny Wednesday, January 14^th, and it's a balmy 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I consider this a big improvement from the 9 degrees it was when I woke up this morning. My cats are going ballistic. They are used to eating breakfast and going outside afterwards. Well, as a dutiful cat mother, I don't let them out if it is less than 25 degrees. On a normal winter day, this means that they usually get to escape by lunchtime, but today will be different. The high is supposed to be 15 degrees!

The cats are quite good indoors, really, considering all of the antiques and collectibles I have in all rooms of my house. Of course, my favorite collections consist of antique china, vintage McCoy pottery, vintage glass Christmas ornaments and vintage carnival glass. On the off occasion that one of the cats makes a miscalculated or malicious move that jeopardizes one of my treasures, they know the consequences. They avoid at all costs the wrath of Mom, which entails me screaming at the top of my lungs at the guilty party. It's quite nerve wracking for all involved and often sends all four of them running for cover, even if not the guilty party. Within five minutes of the transgression, though, they are all rubbing against my legs and looking for forgiveness.

Yes, I admit it, I own four of the fury little fiends. I fully recognize that that is a lot of cats! Luckily for me, my fiancé is a cat lover, too. Once, he had a total of 16 strays that he fed and sheltered in his garage. When my friend who put a new roof on my house heard this, he wanted to know if we had met in therapy. It was a good thing he was up on the roof when he asked that.

You are probably wondering how many cats my fiancé has now. He has three. We will be a seven cat household when we get married this July. Yes, I recognize the insanity of the situation. Especially since it is hard to keep the house clean now. I truly know my fiancée loves me. Let's face it. Antiques dealers are not spotless housekeepers to start with. We just aren't! But I am dutiful about keeping their boxes clean and the rugs vacuumed. Just don't do a white glove test for dust..... I've always had issues with the maid. One of these days she may join a crusade for dust. Until then, as long as she keeps up with the cat boxes and vacuuming, please allow her some slack.