The Cat

Last year one of my beautiful white sister cats had a litter of kittens. Of the 5, 2 survived. One was white exactly like her mom and auntie- a female I named Dixie. Then there was a black and white male that I named Mason. Yeah, Mason Dixie. I know. Cheesy. Well, eventually Dixie found a new home with one of Kevin's friends and was renamed Snowball. Then Kevin told me he found a home for Mason, too. Great! His girlfriend wants him. However, her parents won't let her have him and she's only 14 so she has to stay with me for 4 years! I don't know when her birthday is so maybe we're down to 3 years by now. She comes over very occassionally and gets excited about seeing him, carries him around and asks to take him outside. I don't doubt she'd take good care of him. But most of us know that when we first start out, we rent from pet-hating landlords for years before we are able to buy a place of our own, if we ever do. Few are the apartment buildings and rental houses that don't say, "No pets." So Mason could be with me for a good long time. That really isn't the issue anymore. I've been thinking about what it would be like to give him up after all that time. While this girl is staking her claim, I'm feeding him, buying his litter, I even had him neutered today and didn't ask permission. Of course, it's a requirement of being a responsible pet owner but it's also because I still have Mason's mom and aunt who as not altered and I was not about to deal with inbred kittens. Mason was also born here. He knows no other human caretaker but me. And he sleeps in my bed most nights. He'll be a year old this summer and I'm getting pretty attached to this baby. You'd think I would feel that way when I am well aware that having 4 cats in the house is too many. I have told Kevin that when he leaves my house, Kenny goes with him no matter what. I've been telling him lately that he has to take both Kenny and Mason since Mason is Kevin's girlfriend's cat. That would leave me with only my white sisters, Tellulah and Dora. That is a good number- just two. And yet, I'm just not sure I will be able to let Mason go. I should. But there is that whole fantasy about having a kitten that was born in your house and then 15-20 years later, dying in your house. I guess we'll see what happens when the time comes, right?