I am a dog person. At least I always was. From my first canine love Scamp, the single most wonderful dog ever by the way, to our current three...Joe, with whom you're previously acquainted via a prior Dee post, Satchmo (self cudos for our nice salute to the blues), and Koko (spelled with K's as an ode to Kate), I love dogs! If my childhood brought a parade of beagles, all named Snoopy or Barney (where on earth was my trademark creativity then...), my early adulthood provided poodles and cockers and the literal "mother load," a six pack of spaniel offspring of the inemitable Miss P (my beloved Patti). Dogs have always been part of my story and of me.
And then......along came Landen. It was Christmas, 2007. Kate wanted a kitten. It was all she talked about.....what could Santa do? Of course, Christmas morning arrived and, surprise of surprises, so did Kate's kitten. After a somewhat inauspicious start as cat owners, including the misnaming of our new baby because of an error is sex identification and some serious parent difficulty explaining to Drew how Santa might have managed to transport this tiny kitten from the North Pole down our chimney, we settled in rather nicely to life as cat owners. The originally named "Lizzie" agreeably transformed into "Landen" after we solicited the expert input of a vet, and so our odyssey into the cat kingdom began. I have to say, I am in love. This beautiful green-eyed, white gloved grey feline has stolen my heart. He is many things I am....independent, playful, adventurous. He doesn't bark. He contentedly sleeps through our mealtimes; jumping on the table or in our laps just doesn't happen. He can "make-do" if we are away for short trips as long as someone checks by on occasion with food and water refills. Leaving him a cuddle toy and the telephone (I honestly believe this cat could call 911 in the event of emergency), I can confidently go to work and come home to find him in exactly the same spot where I left him, contentedly snoozing away his day.
Cats are simply easier than dogs, and at this point in my life I am all about the "Easy Button" approach to everything....including pet ownership. But, I think the reason I most love Landen is the pure joy he has brought my daughter. He has been a friend and unbiased confidante for her in these challenging years of pre-teenhood. I am sure he could tell me some of her secrets, but I would never ask. I have overheard bits and pieces of their talks and seen them share mysterious laughs and a few tears. He has been her shelter from sadness and disappointment and has shared her best of times.
So..... having been almost completely won over and hovering on the precipice of a full scaled conversion from dog to cat person, I was recently advised by my sister that I must read New York Times Bestseller The Art Of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein. For anyone who ever was, is, or wants to be a dog person, this book is a must. As I stop the presses and the gushing blubbering about cats, I now find myself wondering if there could possibly be room in my life for another...dog.
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