A Reluctant Cat Daddy

Paying the Price for Being Nice

I never saw myself as a “cat guy.” Growing up, our next door neighbor had a sweet cat named “Amber” (she had orange spots on her white fur) that split time between our two houses. When she’d make her way to our house in the late morning, she’d appear at the screen door in the kitchen and make her way back to my room. A former late-slumberer, I’d frequently awaken to her jumping on my bed/body before she then sprung up to the windowsill above my bed. I didn’t mind so much, as it was usually well past time to wake up and start my day. As much as I enjoyed her company, I never saw myself as someone who would “own” cats one day (those of us who have cats in our lives know that they truly own us).