Friday, January 9, 2009

caleb & snoph

i am not a fan of cats. i don't wish them any ill-will, i just want them to keep their distance from me. you see, growing up we had an adopted cat we as kids named mr. putty-tat and i loved him more than my lavender stretchy stirrup pants.

but he was a volatile fella, and while he treated me with affection for one moment, the next i would find him digging his sharp claws into my arms, neck or legs. ouch. not to mention the time he bit me on the cheek for no reason.

that was the day the lavender stirrups moved back into their #1 slot.

from then on i regarded mr. putty-tat as more foe than friend, and a betrayer of my trust. i kept my distance and i never looked back.

since that day i have honestly put forth every effort to forgive the felines but continually see untrustworthy behavior coming from every cat i have come in contact with.

the worst part is, with cats, there is no forewarning. no teeth baring, or growling, or any other type of announcement that they are about to pounce. (anyone else remember lucifer from cinderella? pure evil.) one second they are purring in your lap, all soft and content. next thing you know you are screaming, ripping their claws out from your jeans as you are wondering whether you are now also going to have to administer first aid to your bleeding legs.

let me reiterate though, i wish them no harm. unlike the boys in jr. high i would overhear laughing about how they had nuked the family cat in the microwave. i would never be so cruel. i just want to be left alone when it comes to my personal bubble.

that being said, ben's mom has a crazy cat named sophie. she isn't a mean cat, just very needy. and for some reason when i am in a room surrounded by 40 other people who would willingly pet her, she eyes me from a distance and always comes meandering up to my lap. then i have to look like a fool in public, grabbing the nearest pillow to block her impending pounce up to my legs.

and am immediately pegged as the heartless non-cat lover. whatever, i have scars to back up my irrational behavior. both mental and physical scars.

caleb loves sophie. he calls her "snoph" and follows her around calling her name in a high-pitched baby voice and giggling at her every move. ben took these pictures while i was taking a nap. when he showed them to me, i had to struggle not to freak out because just seeing my little boy's face only centimeters away from potential danger took me back to "the swollen cheek day", aka "the day of betrayal."





well he survived the impromptu photo shoot. and his trust in snoph is still intact. honestly, i hope it stays that way. i'd rather have snoph up on a pedestal in his eyes instead of learning the facts about cats through the school of hard knocks. like his poor mother had to.

7 comments:

Francis and Fawn Becker said...

So funny! Francis is the same way, everytime we would go to my parents old house in Prescott the neighbor cat insisted sitting on his lap and he does not like cats. I guess his dropped dead when he was at school and when he came home (he was a latch key kid) the cat had a worm crawl out of his dead mouth--gross! I don't like cats because they pee all over my house darn cats! But maybe we should get Caleb a cat for his birthday?? J/k :)

The Hunter's said...

It is so great to know I am not the only one. I have become allergic to cats. It gives me an excuse to never have one in our home, but it is not so good when your mother-in-law treats her cat like her child! Before we knew I was allergic, Collin would torture the cat endlessly. His mom did not appreciate it. I think our new reason of my sneezing and coughing to get rid of the cat, just makes her more mad.

Tui Family said...

Lynsey you are hilarious! It does bring me back to the day we brought home a cat from the pound that seemed sweet enough...until it clawed both my temples and bit my nose simultaneously! It went back to the pound not long after. I think it was possesed! Seriously though, maybe your beloved cat had been abused or something.

Andrea said...

Look at that cat's sweet face...she is no lucifer she is a sweet little sugar stuffed pocket of perrrrrfection. You need to repent of your judgmental ways!!!

Brian & Chelsey said...

So cute Caleb is with the cat! I have to say I am a cat lover...I have one of my own and he is my baby! :) Its weird i know but he is. He follows me around the house, waits for at the door when I come home and HAS to be held and petted all the time! Often times I have to kick him out of my office so I can get some work done! (have to say we did get him declawed...he NEVER goes outside!!) Wish I could help you with the cat hate!!!! my parents had a cat who I felt the exact same way about him as you do about cats in general! :)

Rachel H. said...

So funny. I too have an aversion to cats. I actually hit one once--on accident. She was blind and only had 3 legs. I felt terrible--but mainly because her "owners" were 3 small children who all saw me run over her and were sobbing. I still feel bad when I think about it...but not because it was a cat.

K Harker said...

I knew were were meant to be friends for a reason. AMEN! Mean nasty cats, never will I have one in my house.