Now I have nothing against animals in general. We're all just trying to get by on this crazy planet. But I do have objections to sharing my house with animals. Also, I have plenty on my plate already, thank you, without having to take care of an animal as well.
So the negotiations began. Ellie's starting position was a full-on farm, with cows, horses, llamas, who knows. More like a zoo, actually. The pro-animal coalition finally agreed to unify and push for a dog. No way was I going for that. Again, I have nothing against dogs, I actually like them if they're not yappy all the time. I just don't want to clean up after them and take them to the vet and etc. I suggested pet rocks as an alternative.
After some weeks of discussion, I had agreed to a single goldfish, and the Coalition was now arguing for a low-maintenance outdoor cat (Ellie, the extremist in the coalition, pushed for a large family of cats). I was considering this, but not quite ready to make a commitment.
Then Harriet showed up, and made the decision for us.
We have no idea where she came from. Our neighbor says she'd been roaming the neighborhood for a few weeks, looking for a place to call home. I suppose she was abandoned by her previous people. Anyway, we fed her a couple times and she stuck around, even defending her new territory against interlopers. Ellie named her after a character in the Catwings series, one of her favorites.
I'm glad she came. The kids adore her, of course. Ellie constantly asks us where Harriet is, as if we had her hooked up to a GPS. Ami and I both had cats growing up, and she reminds us of those Past Cats.
Harriet is a bit of a lounger.
But she rouses herself to follow us around on our Saturday work. Does she think she's helping, or supervising?
A few days ago she leapt into one of our pear trees.
I was a little concerned -- could she get down ok? Turns out she was just curious, or perhaps trying to prove her agility. After exploring a few branches, she executed a few deft moves and landed gracefully on the ground.
When I was growing up, our cats would line up outside the door and watch us for hours. We called it Cat TV. This must be a common trait in cats; Harriet subscribed to Cat TV right away.
Welcome to the family, Harriet.
8 comments:
I'm trying to figure out who wrote the post on your cat, Ami or Alex. I thin it was Alex. Ami would have opted for a dog instead of a cat. Moreover, Ami was never into pet rocks. Am I right?
Su Padre
Sooo Is it Harry or Harriet?
Jenni got a cat on Columbus day one year and named it Ferdinand:
only to have to rename it Isabella when the cat had kittens.
Nico told us on the phone about "Harriet" and was excited to have a pet....pets actually teach kids a lot about responsibility in caring for and feeding, and are great playmates.
Have Fun !! MOM A.
I hope to see some lolcats soon! http://icanhascheezburger.com/
The other day Hannah said something about Ellie having a cat. I said, "Oh, like a stuffed animal cat, right?"
Hannah said, "no, it's real."
I said, "Ohhh" but what I was thinking was, it's a stuffed animal cat. How dare I doubt! Good luck with Harriet.
Congratulations on the new addition! She looks like a gem. I like Ellie's stick-to-it-ivness. I also like the Cat TV comment. Our dog, Taffy, was into Guilt TV, as she would sit outside the window on a warm summer day, shivering and staring at us until we let her back in.
I remember Isabella and also Chipper, the two Anderson cats of yore. I also remember Ginger, the Anderson dog, and the Far Side poster that always hung in Ami's room in her honor.
I'm so glad to see Harriet! She looks like a ringtail; perhaps she is a relative of the Mother Cat, although I'm sure Harriet is much nicer. Just think, Al, about how she will keep the mice population down! It's going to be a great thing to have her around...I can't wait to meet her.
Ah, I see we have crossed to the other side of the pet threshold together this week. We have been in a house a few years longer then you guys, but still resisted. I wasn't ready for the responsibility of a pet. Kids- sure, but there was something about pet responsibility that had me very hesitant. Alex echoed many of my thoughts and arguments.
Have fun with Harriet, she seems nice. Scout would have definitely preferred a cat, but she got vetoed.
I also remember those Anderson pets of yore. I don't think I would have pulled Chipper out of the old memory bank though, good job Em.
Harriet is da' bomb!
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