When we tell stories about our families, most stories are about immediate family or ancestors. When we were younger, we told stories about our cousins and how we used to wrestle with them in the garage for the heavyweight title belt or the time our dad hid under the bed and scared us as we sat down on it. As we get older we hear people talk about their spouses, in-laws, and children. Parents love to talk about their children. They talk about how their child walked for the first time, how their kids are really smart, blah, blah, blah.
I sometimes get tired of their stories; I have kids too. They can’t read or write, but they are smart. I have five kids. All of them were walking and talking at an early age, but all of my kids have four legs and fur. Of course, I am talking about my pets, fur babies, or as my mom calls them her grand animals. To me, pets make the best kind of kids and provide the most excellent stories.
There are always stories about how a pet got into something they were not supposed to. For example, I have a little tortoise-shell cat named Iris. Iris is very lovable and very sneaky. One day when she was a kitten (about three months old), I was looking in the refrigerator for some food. She walked up right next to my leg and start rubbing against me and purring. I bent down and petted her, got some food out of the refrigerator and closed it. About 20 minutes went by, and it was eerily quiet in the house, the kind of quiet when you know your kids are up to something. My wife and I started calling for Iris; we couldn’t find her anywhere.
I went to the pantry and shook her favorite treat box; then I heard a “Mew.” I wasn’t sure where it came from, but I kept listening and shaking the box. The high pitched mews lead me back to the kitchen, back to the refrigerator. I opened the fridge and Iris was laying right next to the bread on the bottom shelf, shaking because she was so cold. I gave her to my wife, and she held Iris in her arms, and Iris mewed until she was warm again.
We have plenty of stories about our furry kids fighting with each other, doing things they know they aren’t supposed to do, and playing around with their favorite toy or each other. Our pets are our family too, and sometimes people forget that. They are loyal, loving, and are always there when we need them. That’s what a family means to me.
Poor Iris! I'm so glad you found her when you did! I agree Mario. Pets are an integral part of many families and they definitely provide fodder for good stories!
Posted by: Debbie Rowe | 04/24/2018 at 08:24 PM
Fur babies are the best! Adorable and warm, and often very, very funny.
Posted by: Lori Gonzalez | 04/27/2018 at 01:45 PM
Oh my gosh! If there hadn't been a cat picture at the top I would not have known until well into paragraph 2 that you were talking about your fur babies. I can totally imagine Iris mewing from the refrigerator and I'm so relieved she responded to your shaking the treats and wasn't trapped too long in the cold!
Posted by: Kathy Nakagawa | 04/30/2018 at 10:18 AM
I have many versions of the same story. Pets are ridiculous and such a joy! Cats in particular. They make no sense and they know it. It's like the ultimate definition of chaotic neutral.
Posted by: Kailawhite | 05/02/2018 at 07:02 PM
Your pets are probably telling stories, too. My goddaughter's mom was a manager at Borders Books, and she often asked me to write goofy little poems for their staff meetings. One month they were actually written by our two cats and just transcribed by me.
Posted by: Julie Peterson | 05/03/2018 at 11:15 AM