Real Men Love Cats (Guest Blog)

(Post is written by Guest Blogger, the Crazy Cat Lady's Boyfriend himself!)

Boyfriend of a Crazy Cat Lady, It might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s true. Jess asked if I would write a special guest blog about my journey from, let’s be honest, not really liking cats to being able to tolerate them and now to wanting to keep one or two that Jess has fostered, so here it is.

First, here’s a little history of myself and house pets. Over the years, my family has tried the whole having a cat as a pet and none of the three or four really worked out, so we decided that we’re really a dog(s) kind of family. The first two dogs I remember were Pumbaa and Nala. Unfortunately I was quite young when we had them so I don’t remember what breeds they were and don’t have pictures. We had to give them away because we moved into a smaller house and we didn’t have a fenced in yard where they could play, being that they were big dogs. After that, we tried a couple different dogs, but they didn't work out. Today, we have four dogs in our home. Molly, the oldest, is a Pit Bull and Lab mix. We got her as a puppy as a Christmas present in 2008. (I could be off a year) Whitee, the second oldest, is full Pittie. We got him around September October of 2011. Mumford and Sidney, the youngsters, are brothers (even though they don’t look it) and are Pug and Boston Terrier mix. We got them around January or February of last year.

Molly

Sidney and Mumford

Whitee

Now for the topic everyone comes here to read about, kittens. Well, before I can talk about the foster kittens, I have to discuss the cat in the room: Merlin. The first time I met Merlin was before Jess and I started dating. Our friend Spencer and I came to Purdue to watch the season finale of Doctor Who (had to get at least one reference in). Merlin seemed a little apprehensive at first with having two guys around but he got to watch Doctor Who with us, and if you know Merlin then you know it’s one of his favorite shows to watch. After Jess and I started dating and I was around more often, I think Merlin figured he just had to deal with me being around. At first we kept our distance, but eventually we become bros…plus he knows I’ll give him cheese.

At the beginning Merlin thought it would be best if we kept our distance

But, if his mom was with us then it was okay to be around each other.

Eventually he let me share the couch with him 

And now we take selfies together, although he's not always excited about it

I was lucky enough to be in Indianapolis when Jess got her first set of fosters and even more lucky to be able to name one. As it turned out, I was a natural when it came to naming kittens. I only had to see him for 10 seconds before I had his name for him: Sherlock. Immediately, he was inquisitive and excited and wanted to know everything about his new home; including its feline inhabitant.  We quickly bonded during the times I would visit Jess in Indy and I was sad to see him go. It was with Sherlock and a part of Merlin’s personality, that Jess and I learned my kind of kitten. To say that Sherlock was mischievous and a troublemaker would be an understatement but what could you do?

Sherlock and I on his last night with Jess

 Before Sherlock left, Jess got another little kitten that was headstrong, brave, and a bit of a troublemaker herself, yet sounded like a mouse. It was because of the mouse-like meow that I suggested the name Minnie, and it fit her so well. Not long after, Jess got another lonely little guy, and what better name than Mickey.

Minnie was a lot like Sherlock, but it was with Mickey that I found out I also enjoy the mellow, let’s just lay around and nap and watch TV kind of kittens. Probably because they remind me of the dogs, because as you can see from the pictures, one of their favorite activities is sleeping. When Jess told me that they were big enough that they could be spayed/neutered and adopted, I was happy that they would be able to find a nice family and a new home but sad that I didn't get to see them off.

Minnie enjoys exploring...

..While Mickey enjoys belly rubs.

I honestly don’t know how Jess does it. If my family decided to start fostering puppies, I would want to keep every puppy we got. So I know it takes a strong person to foster and have to say goodbye after being with these kittens for most of their lives. For that I am very proud of Jess and not just because she is making a difference for these kittens but because she’s taking on this responsibility on top of worrying about her Senior year of college, figuring out her future, taking care of Merlin, and doing all of this while being two hours away from her family (and me).

With all that being said, I am still and will always be a dog person, but I can say, without a doubt, that Merlin and these kittens have drastically altered my opinion on cats.