Bartholomew

(Mary Anne holding Bartholomew in his favorite position!)

“When this cat and these dogs are gone, I’m done. No more pets. I want us to be able to take off and go to Wyoming or anywhere else without having to worry about animals.”   Famous last words.

Actually, it’s not my fault, not entirely. After Sammy, our last surviving cat, disappeared last year I had no intention of getting another one. I enjoy cats and there’s nothing better than laying in the recliner with a cat on my chest, snoozing away a lazy Sunday afternoon. That deep-throated purring from a warm, fuzzy body snuggled up on me is about as relaxing an experience as I can imagine. The only thing better was when my babies laid there to nap, but then I was always a little tense, worried I might move wrong and drop the baby. You never really worry about that with a cat, because they usually land on their feet with only an eye roll in your direction at such clumsiness.

But, animals have to be looked after when you travel, so I figured it would lessen my anxiety if there weren’t any to worry about. But every time I would say, “No more pets after these are gone,” my kids would give me the “Right, Mom,” look and go about their business, shaking their heads.

Well, for my birthday in August, Mary Anne took matters into her own hands and brought me a kitten! A pretty tan, lightly striped, male whom I named Bartholomew. I like using Biblical or saint names for pets when I get to do the naming and he came from a family with several boys named after the Apostles, so I thought Bartholomew would be cute. Besides, his meow is so loud that I can say to him, “Bartholo!” and he’ll respond, “Mew!” Pretty cute, huh?

He is now about seven months old and a nice-sized cat. While I write this he is laying on my chest grooming himself with an occasional lick on my chin to make sure I, too, am properly groomed. I don’t know what will happen when the dogs are gone, but I’m pretty sure I’m always going to have a cat!