Meet Puff. She came into our lives a little over 2 weeks ago. There is a stray cat that makes frequent stops by our house. On her last visit, she decided to leave us with a litter of kittens. I'm on my way out the door one beautiful Monday morning, and I look down to see three little white balls of fur sitting on my steps.
Heather and I decided that if we left them alone, the mom would take care of them and eventually relocate them. That was the case...except for little Puff here. She had a really bad eye infection that crusted over and prevented her from seeing. Well, Heather and I couldn't bear to think of letting a kitten starve (let alone, hear the pathetic mewing outside our front door). Unfortunately, the Humane Society is currently overrun with cats and kittens that are left uncared for by owners. They couldn't take Puff, and recommended that we care for her while waiting for the mom to come back for her. We took her to the Vet and had her treated for fleas and worms and had a nice box for her to keep on our front porch (in case the mom wanted to come back). After a day, we decided to bring her into the house....and effectively into our hearts.
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm a dog person. I've grown up with dogs in my house, and have every intention of owning several dogs in the future. In fact, my only real dealings with cats are when I was very young. My parents have pictures of me in the front yard with a stick in my hands trying to teach a cat to roll-over and fetch. Needless to say, I wasn't fond of the idea of owning a cat....at first.
Puff is a very curious and funny kitten. It's been so much fun watching her get healthy and develop into a rambunctious little engine. She loves to attack hands, stuffed animals, shoestrings....you name it - she'll go after it. She'll run full tilt into a wall and then shake it off only to do it again 5 minutes later. I really will miss watching her grow up.
You see - we can't really afford to take care of a pet right now. Also, there are a lot more decisions to be made when owning a cat. Will you have the cat declawed? Are you prepared to cat-proof every wire in your house? I read up on a lot of "issues" with owning cats. To me, declawing a cat is a no-brainer. However, there are a ton of adverse reactions that can occur to such a procedure. I had no idea.
After several days of going back and forth, Heather and I decided to post an advertisemnt on the OBU faculty/student Classifieds. A friend of one of my students had been looking to get a kitten, but didn't want to buy one (seeing as how so many are in need of a home). She seems like a great person who will take care of Puff and make sure she has plenty of things to attack.
If I am this sad at seeing Puff go (after only 2 weeks), I couldn't imagine what it's like to let a child go after 20 years. Well, I take pride in knowing that Puff is alive today b/c of what a generous woman I married. She has a heart bigger than the moon (with a distinct soft spot for all animals.....except cockroaches and camel-crickets).
Still - I will miss coming home to play with little Puff. Heather and I prayed over her before she left our house - that God would watch over her and allow her to live a full life. I really believe God watches over all His creatures.
You can expect to see another post about Puff from Heather. I know she is extremely sad to see her go, but happy that it's to a good home.
And so - hello Puff. Goodbye Puff. Take care, and know that we love you.
JB
