Cats

I was born very allergic to cats. In spite of this, or maybe because they were forbidden, I had a fascination for them growing up. For example, when it was time to memorize and recite a poem in 5th grade, I chose one about a cat. When it was time to pick out a souvenir on vacation, I chose one in the shape of a cat. When we visited homes that included a cat, I usually played with it and got such an allergic reaction that it scared my parents! My nose would run like a faucet, my eyes swelled up, and by the time I was starting to have trouble breathing it was time to go home!

One of the Scholastic Book Club books my mom bought for me when I was in 3rd or 4th grade is called, The House of Thirty Cats by Mary Calhoun. Over the years I have reread it many times. It is nothing but delightful! I learned a lot about cats from this book. I usually plan not to expressly tell the stories of the books I love-- in order not to spoil it for someone who has yet to read it. Although I do plan to blog occasionally about books I DO NOT recommend, I usually want people to read the ones I have enjoyed. It is not as fun to read a book when you already know what is going to happen! But since this is a little-known, out-of-print children’s book, I will make an exception and tell you a little more about it.

A lonely old lady and a lonely young girl become friends beginning with their common love of cats. Don’t you love that already? The woman feeds a lot of cats who hang out at her place, but she probably does NOT have as many as thirty. That is an exaggeration. The young girl learns that a cat has his/her own personality, and when the government tells the lady she has to get rid of most of the cats, the girl works hard studying the personalities of people she knows in order to try to match them to cat personalities so she can find homes for them all! As a result, both the girl and the woman make friends besides themselves and are no longer lonely. This is definitely a “feel good” book from beginning to end! The descriptions of the cats are comical and endearing, even the “evil” one! Some fond memories of the book include: How the lady picked dandelions in other people’s yards to use in a “stew” that she fed the cats out of leftover scraps and things. How everyone thought she was crazy, but she wasn’t. She satiated the cats’ desire to “be alone” when they needed it by providing a locked room upstairs with a cat door in it. How she “threw” a birthday party for one of her favorite cats and made tuna pancakes and hung rubber balls in the bushes and put a bunch of paper bags all over the lawn for them to play in.

Even before I read the book to her, my middle daughter started signs of loving cats at an early age and begged us to get her one. The main problem was that I was allergic! The other problem we faced was that all pets were forbidden by the owner of the house we rented at the time. I remember telling all three of my kids when they asked for pets, “When you grow up and get a home of your own, you can have all the pets you want!”

But in the year 2000, Cathryn was diagnosed with a progressive genetic disease with no cure. The prognosis at that time was that she would not live past her teens. Now she would not be able to “grow up, get a home of you own and have all the pets you want”! We wrote a letter to the owner of the house explaining this and pleading for permission to have a cat for Cathryn, but he refused. By the next year we had moved to a more wheelchair friendly house. Yes, just a little over a year after the diagnosis she needed a wheelchair. The owner of the “new” house said that yes, Cathryn may have a cat!

When we got that first cat, I started out trying never to touch him and scrupulously cleaned the house often with a hepa filter vacuum, kept my bedroom door shut so he would never go near where I sleep, and took allergy medicine. After a while, I slowly relaxed on the cleaning, stopped taking meds and started petting him. It was a miracle! I didn’t get a reaction! I still have trouble understanding how that could happen! Now we have two different cats. One is supposed to be Cathryn’s, but he has adopted me. He sleeps on my bed, hops in my lap often and frequently buries his head in my neck. I have no reaction after three years of having these two cats. Do you have an explanation?

Rob’s cat is so much like him that I think the spirit of the young girl in the story must have been there when he was chosen for him, don’t you? They both love music. When Rob is playing piano, his cat almost always jumps up onto the bench with him. He sometimes plucks guitar strings with his teeth, and is fascinated by the amp. Neither of them likes work very much. Rob is faithful to do his chores and homework for the most part, but usually turns down the opportunity to do something extra to earn money. His cat doesn’t hunt and has never caught anything. They both enjoy verbal communication. They both come and find me just to tell me something. I love it that Rob likes to come home and tell me about his day. This cat has several different meows he uses at varying pitches etc. Sometimes I can swear he says “Mom!” Just like Rob. He says “Ow!” when he has a tummy ache from eating too much grass. Other times he clearly seems to say, “Out!” when standing at the door. Both Rob and his cat are fun-loving, playful, and busy. Neither of them can be found sitting around doing nothing.

If only Cathryn’s cat would choose her for a master, we all would be very happy! They are very much alike also. This cat does not like to run and play much (Cathryn can’t). One of his favorite things to do is sleep (Cathryn often gets 12 hours of sleep at night). When this cat gets something in his head that he wants, he is persistent to get it. Cathryn also has a “stick-to-it-ness” that is amazing. Both Cathryn and her cat are soft spoken. I have rarely heard him say more than a soft little “mew”. They both are friendly, loving, affectionate, and display a sweet spirit. Neither of them shrinks from working. Cathryn works harder than any of us to get anything done because of her physical challenges. Her cat is a great hunter and has caught several “prizes”. But they are both “laid back” and can sit and daydream for hours; they never seem to be “bored”.

Anyone of any age would enjoy reading this book, if you can find a copy in a used bookstore somewhere. If you love cats already, you will love it. If you hate cats, you might learn enough from reading this book that you could start liking some of them a little bit, or at least hate them less.