9 years ago I was convinced that we needed a cat. The largest pet I had ever had up until that point was albino dwarf hamster named Dexter. Prior to Dexter I had frogs and fish that I was solely responsible for. At one point my family growing up had a dog, a little chickapoo named Cherry. Part chihuahua and part poodle. So ugly, she was cute. She peed on the floor with excitement every time we came home. Our parents had decided at the time we were not home enough to give her the life she deserved and having a dog was short lived. As a child I could not understand, but as an adult it was the best thing for Cherry. She was given to an elderly couple that were home all the time and had great joy in her company.
I digress, 9 years ago I was convinced we needed a cat. My nephew’s girlfriend at the time had kittens at her home and they could not keep them all. I was told that cats are independent and require little attention, boy was I lied to! My son and husband really wanted a pet and a cat was the best option. I reluctantly agreed, but only if we could get the prettiest cat in the photos. My plan as I believed that this would be the first one picked-back fired lol.
We were told that our little one was a boy and got him at 6 weeks old. We went through classic boy names looking for the perfect one. Enter Barnaby. Adding a little life with four legs was an adjustment with a 4 year old. It was like the fresh little kitty knew that the boy was its hottest competition for attention. Barnaby ran and lunged at the boy and tried to take him out. Their relationship has progressed over the past 9 years, but Barnaby does still lunge at him at the odd occasion.
Being responsible pet owners, we took our little fuzz ball to the vet for a check up. Barnaby was still in the carrier when the vet questioned why we named her Barnaby. Excuse me? Her? We knew that Barnaby was beautiful, however, as a first time cat momma, I had no idea he was a she. Good to know! Now Beautiful Barnaby is a her and her name remains Barnaby.
Barnaby is an old soul. By this, I mean she has the personality of a cranky 80 year old man that has been constipated for a week. She does not play well with others and is very demanding. She has also chosen me as her “person”. The one person who did not want the kitten is the lucky chosen one and the ones that wanted her are the ones under constant sneak attack.
The ways of the cat are mysterious 🙂
