I have always wanted a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in my garden so this summer, after changing the landscaping in the front of our house; I was thrilled when Brad came home with one. As we were moving the mulch around to get him square in the ground I thought I would take a minute to talk to Trent about St. Francis. After all, last year we spent a few hours gathering our pets so he had a picture to take to school for a blessing of the animals and I am sure the class discussed the patron saint of animals. But when I asked Trent if he knew the name of the man depicted in the statue he giggled as he responded with, “dad said he is some crazy guy who loved animals.” Thus ending what I thought was going to be a ‘moment.’
We love animals around here. We feed the deer, we stock the bird feeders, and I do my best to clean and fill the hummingbird feeders. We watch eggs hatch into birds each spring and frequently lay out food for the squirrels. We also have three cats and two dogs that call our house a home. I have always loved animals but, for someone who isn’t fond of pet hair and vet bills, I sometimes feel that I am in over my head.
First there is our cat Madison who my neighbor found on a rainy night as she dashed through the parking lot at our townhouse complex. She was a drenched kitten without a home and when he knocked on the door holding her, I couldn’t resist. That was the summer of 1998 and, although she moves a little slower now, she still rules the house.
Then there is Casey, a black lab mix who is about as smart as dogs come. My brother found her wandering around campus in Waynesburg and, since he couldn’t have a dog, he called me to pick her up. The white hairs on her face are the only indication of her 9 years as she runs after the tennis ball in our yard.
Next is Chloe, a yellow lab mix who we refer to as our hard-to-love animal. Five years ago Brad’s friend had a dog that had puppies and they were running out options so we took one. She is allergic to something that blooms in the spring and fall, is prone to infections in her ears, and has two new knees compliments of a talented veterinarian, two people who can’t say no to loving brown eyes, and a great payment plan at the vet clinic.
Then we have Bunny, a small white cat that was in a box of free kittens at the fire station during their 2009 Easter flower sale. She is a very petite cat with a white coat and a patch of gray stripes on her head which resembles a very bad toupee.
Finally, there is Spot-o with probably the most interesting story of all. When Brad returned from eight days in Germany in December, he discovered a large male cat that had somehow gotten locked in his detached garage. We thought he would be the outside cat that we have talked about but the frigid January temperatures followed by the 30 plus inches of snow in February saw him quickly move from the detached garage to the house garage to the basement and finally to the house. Try as we might we could not find his owner and, much to my dismay, he did not find his way home after the snow melted. Well, I guess in some way he did find his way ‘home.’
Although I struggle daily with the upkeep, I have to admit that they have taught me a lot. For instance, I really feel that we, as humans, strive to be like dogs (kind, caring, forgiving, thoughtful), but for the most part resemble cats (aloof, temperamental, strong willed). We have two four legged friends to act as guard dogs when the kids are outside, greet me at the door when I come home, and are happy to see us no matter what kind of day we have had. I also think there is nothing like a soft cat purring on a blanket in your lap to ease your stress. And, yes, I do agree that maybe five house pets is a little overboard. Who knows? Maybe one day a kid (most likely one of mine) will refer to me as ‘some crazy lady who loved animals.’
