Most of my family knows that I am an animal lover. Because I have the kind of job that sometimes (read: often) requires 10-hour days (sometimes 12 and 14), my pets are cats. Not surprisingly, my cats are indoor cats. I took them out a couple of times when they were kittens. But the big, bad world scared them too much. And since I didn't really want them to become indoor/outdoor cats, it was easier to just never take them out again.
My cats are of the independent variety. Cats get a bad rap, mostly from guys I've noticed, for not being dependent on their owners for attention, for often in fact have a bit of a standoffish attitude of "I'll come be with you on my terms". My cats are not quite completely independent; they hang out with me. But they are not "cuddle cats." I define a "cuddle cat" as a cat that loves to sit in your lap and be pet. The cat I had before the current two was a "cuddle cat". Her absolute favorite thing to do was to curl up with me when I was watching TV and just purr and purr as I stroked my hand down her back. There is something about a cat's purr that is very soothing. And yes, I miss that. I miss her waiting - sometimes impatiently - for me to finish eating dinner so that she could crawl into my lap for our nightly petting session. At least I do in theory.
I have a theory that my current cats aren't "cuddle cats" because there are two of them. Previously, I just had the one cat. So she was pretty attached to me. The present two have each other to play with. They are also litter mates, for all that one is a calico and the other a tortoise shell. So they grew up together, quite literally, and often would curl up with each other on the couch next to me, but not on me. Not in my lap. That just wasn't their thing. As they have gotten older, they have been less inclined to curl up with each other or with me. It's rare that they hang out together at all. They both sleep in my room at night, but rarely will they both be on the bed at the same time. In fact, most of the time, I go to sleep with one next to me and, in the morning when I wake up, it's the other one who's laying there next to me. When I'm watching TV at night, one or the other is usually laying next to me. But not to be pet. Just to be present.
At the moment, I have three foster cats. (I had five originally, but have gotten two adopted in recent weeks.) I do this annually - take in foster kittens. This is the first time I've ever had five. I do it to help out an animal rescue organization with which I volunteer when they are overrun with kittens in the spring. Usually, it's about a 2-month commitment. The kittens come to me when they are about 6 weeks old, stay with me until they are old enough to be spayed and neutered at 8 weeks, and then start going out for adoption shortly thereafter. It usually takes about 2-3 weeks for them to get adopted. Thus, for about two months once a year, I have kittens living with me.
Most of my friends and family wonder how I can do this being the animal lover that I am. Don't I get attached to the kittens? Don't I want to keep them all? Isn't it hard to see them go to strangers? The answers to those questions in order are yes sort of, no, and no. You see, kittens are very cute. So by nature they are hard not to love. These kittens come to me and rely on me for everything, unlike my adult cats who aren't quite so dependent on me anymore. So from that perspective, it's really fun to have the little ones around. And they run and play and are generally all those things that make kittens great fun to have around. And usually, there's at least one in the bunch who is a "cuddle cat." In fact, part of my "job" as a foster mom is to socialize the kittens. And so we are encouraged to hold the kittens and love on them. What could be more fun than that? Hence the answer to the first question is yes, I get attached.
But keep them? No. Hard to see them go to new homes? No. Keeping them isn't something I'm tempted to do. For several reasons. 1) That's not what this fostering thing is all about, though there are plenty of "foster failures" - people who just can't give up their fosters. We actually sort of count on it to some extent. 2) It's really gratifying to see someone take home a new kitten - someone for them to love. 3) Kittens don't stay kittens, and two cats is enough. Kittens are endlessly entertaining. Right now, one is chasing a ball and another is chewing on the end of the laces of my running shoes. Very cute. But eventually, the kittens will become cats. And then they won't do so many of those adorable kitten things. 4) I don't want to become known as the crazy cat lady. I get enough strange looks from people over having foster kittens every year. If I keep them, every one of them, every year that I've done this, I'd have five cats now. That's a big much, don't you think? 5) Perhaps most importantly, my two "regular" cats, for all that they are independent and not "cuddle cats", are really just right for me. A "cuddle cat" would be nice - I would certainly enjoy a little more purring and curling up in my lap. But a "cuddle cat" also would probably not appreciate it if I got home at 10 at night and just went to sleep, i.e., I was too tired to cuddle. And there's on average about one night a week where I do get home late enough that really all I want is a quick dinner, a little light TV, and sleep.
And so in the end, I probably got the cats that I need. Cats who do like a little attention, but not a lot. Cats who are pretty independent, but not completely so. Cats who, in fact, really have their own lives to live.
In other words, cats that are just like me.
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