We have a cat living with us.
Until this summer that was a line I thought I would only write as the beginning of a really sappy work of fiction. Though I grew up with cats, my wife, Carol, and I have been, until now, dog folk.
In our 16 years together, we have shared four dogs, two of which — Sydney and Cody — are still with us.
The main reason we have shied from cats had nothing to do with animal animus. Carol was allergic to them.
However, last fall we were in my wife’s hometown of Decatur, Ala., following the passing of her mother, Rosemary. Carol and daughter Amelia went for a walk, during which this rather bedraggled-looking cat began following them. They kept thinking eventually kitty would turn toward home but it never did.
And that’s the essential version of how Rosie drafted us into service as her new family.
Though Carol found over-the-counter allergy medication made co-existing with a cat a happy experience, Rosie spent her first months living with Amelia as she finished her senior year at the University of South Carolina.
But when this summer’s plans took Amelia to Alaska, Rosie came to live with us. And thus began our firsthand education on the difference between dogs and cats.
No matter what, the dogs conform to our schedule, including when they get fed. Our house, our rules.
With Rosie, not so much. Imagine being awakened in the wee hours of the morning to find yourself nose to nose with a hungry mewing kitty.
The dogs bump and thump their way through the house. Rosie can come and go with the stealth of a summer breeze.
If the dogs were allowed to ask us one question, it would likely be: “What time is dinner?” If Rosie were allowed the same perk, it would be: “Who’s in charge?”
The dogs are anxious to please and will sit forever as long as they’re getting attention. Rosie, however, will stroll away when the mood suits her. It’s kind of like living with Britney Spears. Except Rosie also can be delightful company.
In the evening when Carol settles with a good book, it is even money that Rosie will be next to her, either dozing or wrestling with her catnip mouse.
Often, in a behavior more expected from the dogs, she will simply lie down at our feet and roll on to her back — an open invitation for attention. So much for the studied incuriousness many believe is a part of feline DNA.
How long Rosie will be with us is undecided. Amelia’s travels may continue after the tourist season ends in Alaska and that is no problem. Rosie is no longer an adopted stray but a full-fledged member of the family even when she is a trifle high maintenance.
Major changes in our lives come at us many different ways — usually accompanied by a great deal of vainglorious noise. This time, felicitously, it arrived on four feet.
Jim Osterman lives in Sandy Springs. Reach him at jimosterman@rocketmail.com
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