“Whaaa? Is Jennifer blogging about cats, again?”
Look, I will be the first to admit it. I love all animals, but my adoration for creatures of the feline variety is mega-size and always has been. So if you think I’m a hopeless ailurophile – for those who don’t know, that’s the fancy word for cat lover – I will readily own up to it. This blog has my name on it which means there has to be a cat post now and then.
I think often about kitties of all stripes (pun intended), particularly my own. On the days leading up to our trip to Cuba earlier this month, and actually, any time we travel, I begin worrying in earnest. What do our cats think when we disappear like that, for days on end? Do they open their eyes from each nap expecting to see us, and roam from window to window, wondering what the devil has become of us? Do they fill with anxiety, for fear we shall never return?
When I voice these concerns to my husband, he gives me a patronizing smile and reassures me once again that they don’t think that way, especially as we make sure before we go that all their needs are met and we have someone checking on them. And of course they have each other. But how can he know that for certain, that they aren’t pining for us? I know he loves cats too, but does he think he can read their minds?
Wherever we go, Cuba included, little cats seem drawn to him. I’ll give him that. Like this little tomcat.
So even though I remain unapologetic and consider myself as devoted to cats as he is, and I worry more about the ones we leave behind, I wonder why they always give him the lion’s share of attention. Even the Spanish ones.
What do you think? Say anything, but please don’t call me a crazy cat lady!
Further Reading: 8 Purrfect Destinations For Any Cat Lover
Jennifer's Journal 
so endearing~
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Thank you, Cindy. 🙂
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Last time we went away for a weekend we had to put our dog in kennels. When we collected her on our way home she couldn’t make a sound. Her throat was sore, apparently, the kennel owner told us, because she had been whining and barking for three days.
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Aw, the poor doggie. She must have missed you something terrible.
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I’m a through-and-through cat lover too 🙂 It’s funny, whenever my boyfriend and I go on vacation, I worry about the pets too. Are they scared we won’t come home? Confused? Lonely?
And wherever we go for vacation, cats find us — especially my guy. Maybe cats are drawn to male pheromones? Haha.
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My goodness, you sound so much like us! Your guy must be a sweetheart; at least that’s what I think of most guys who love cats like mine does. 🙂
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Im as crazy as they come Jennifer and I adore your stories about your own kitties. How gorgeous was the tabby too. All writers need their mascots I have three.
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I already know you love creatures the way I do, Kath, that is evident from your beautiful blog, writing and artwork.
I would have been happy to bring that little tabby home if I could.
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Jennifer, I love the pictures you took of the cats and of you and your husband. My husband is a pet whisperer too. He’s not the one that picks out the critters-but they always pick his lap as their favorite. I’m both a crazy cat lady and a crazy dog lady. I had always loved dogs more until I had my first cat. Now I understand the pleasures of both feline and canine companionship.
Easter Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
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Thank you, Wendy, happy to share the photos. 🙂
Cats and dogs are both unique and special beings, aren’t they? And each with different personalities. I have owned and had friendships with both, but a life without a cat or two in it seems particularly foreign to me, as I’ve lived with them practically my entire life.
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Very good point about the “crazy”. Im a crazy dog person too! 😊
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Ha ha! You aren’t alone!
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One of ours is purring and snoring right next to me as I type!! She is an old lady now at 19 but seems very healthy apart from being overweight despite diet food! . I love your photographs. your holiday friend has a look of a bengal cat, not totally, but definitely some markings are similar. Not that Im a cat expert but we have a bengal who visits our garden (and house!) now and then. My daughters actually call me crazy cat lady! 😊
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Thanks for your comment! We had a 20 yr old girl cat before we got the sisters. She was a pretty special one called Smokey that my husband had years before we met.
Why don’t they call people “crazy” when they love dogs? Why is it reserved for cats?
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Your pictures are so sweet and you definitely know what they are thinking!
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Thanks, Meg. The secret to being a cat’s friend is to take the time to become intuned with them. They aren’t as mysterious and aloof as some people think.
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That was a very good looking tabby cat. El gatos we saw in Costa Rica had eyes as big as saucers, and didn’t spend any time sitting still as frightened as they were running from every thing – dogs, monkeys, other cats – that wanted to eat them.
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Oh, the poor things! We did see wild little cats hanging around the buffet restaurant on our resort, which was open to the outdoors. They were very timid, but would eat bits of meat diners would often toss to them, before they scurried away again.
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Enjoyed this story very much. The pictures of the cats are always beautiful. The little tabby in Cuba is just gorgeous, I can see why you wanted to bring him home.
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I’m happy you enjoyed it! We were delighted to meet the little fellow.
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We were never able to have cats ponce it was discovered my brother was allergic to them but i have fond memories from when I was very young, and also at my grandmother’s. Happy cat-loving 🙂
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Allergy to cats! My worst nightmare! 😉
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This post makes me smile. Who knows what animals think? I saw an interesting documentary yesterday about how animals sense their environment. Dogs with their sense of smell, birds with their almost 300 degree vision, sharks with a magnetic sense that allows them to sense the low electrical current of a heart beat far in the distance, how dolphins use their clicking sounds like a sonar. Most interesting was how dogs were being trained to keep perfectly still while getting an MRI scan and it turns out that the same centres as in our brains light up when we anticipate reward or know we are not getting one. I think animals have emotions, it’s not just instincts. Look at how monkeys carry around their dead young or protect the body of a fellow dead monkey, or how some animals raise the young of other species…Us humans, we think we’re so darn special. 🙂
Diana xo
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Wow, Diana, that is a blog post right there. I would love to see that documentary, so interesting to learn about animals and what they are capable of! 🙂
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I’m trying to remember what it was called. I saw it on PBS. It was very interesting!
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One of my favourite types of documentary; sounds fascinating.
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I have a dog (10 yrs old this July) and no one can convince me that she does not miss us when we are gone. That being said, perhaps they (cats AND dogs) do not have any real concept of time…like how looooong we/you are gone. 🙂
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I think our pets miss us too. Our more vocal cat tells us off intermittently for a day or so when we get back, and acts a bit more clingy for a while. I don’t want to travel too often because I don’t like leaving them. The good thing is they get along well with each other, groom each other a bit and sleep together sometimes, so they are convenient company for each other. 🙂
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You will never bore me by talking about our feline friends. I am the same way even if I am gone for one night. I have a dog as well and I worry about both of them. It feels like I have left my children behind. If we are crazy cat ladies, then that is fine with me! 😉
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Ha ha, Carla, I thought I could count on you. 🙂
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