Cats, Love & Tears

I have been a cat person since the age of nine when I acquired my first cat, a long haired calico, after pitching a full-fledged crying scene in the back of my dad's Dodge. (In truth, the crying worked on my mother who, in turn, worked on my dad and, voila! we had a kitten in the house.) I named him George in honor of my favorite Beatle, but after giving birth to his first litter of kittens I felt compelled to change his name to "Mama." These days, my love for the GHIW* (who happens to be allergic to pet hair) means our household is filled with love but devoid of cats. I live with cats these days in only a vicarious and sometimes metaphorical way. Scarlett, pictured above, is the newest addition to my son and daughter-in-law's household in Irving, Texas. *GHIW = Greatest Husband In the World