All my life I had dogs as pets. Although I liked cats, I never thought I would have a cat–let alone 3 but that is what I have now. Our dog died of old age and left my husband and me without a pet. I wasn’t eager to go out and get another pet right away. That didn’t make any difference. The first cat–Ringo– was around nine months old when he came around our house. I couldn’t resist him. He was funny, pure white with one blue eye and one green eye (called odd eyes). He has never met a stranger. He is my greeter.

Okay we ended up with our first cat because I couldn’t see letting him roam around and fend for himself. That was going to be it. Then my son asked me to take a stray cat he’d found because he had a pit bull dog and couldn’t risk the kitten with the dog. We ended up with a second cat–Peppers or as I call her Peppy. She looks like salt and pepper–more pepper. She is the smallest of my cats–only weighing 6 or 7 pounds whereas Ringo weighs up to 18 pounds. She is my cat. If she had her way, she would sit on my lap all day and watch me try to write–very distracting. But I have to admit Peppy is a bit neurotic.

Now our third cat I had absolutely said we could not take in because we already had two cats that were picky about other animals. I didn’t see how it would work. But my husband made the mistake of making eye contact with a dirty, messy two month kitten who was whining at the back door of his business. He couldn’t turn her away. Charlie has become the one who makes us laugh the most. She gets into everything and knows where everything belongs in the house. This cat growls like a dog when someone comes to the front door and will hide from anyone who comes to visit.

So here I am with three cats who adopted a lady who was never going to have cats. Have you been adopted by an animal?
by Margaret Daley

Roxanne’s note: Margaret is a wonderful author, and she has a new book out!  Read on..

From This Day Forward By Margaret Daley, Summerside Press, September 2011
“A wonderful love story in the American Tapestries series with characters who are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives after the War of 1812. Daley turns the ugliness of war into a new beginning for the ones who pick up the pieces. Her characters are willing to do what they need to in order to survive, but also are willing to give a friendly hand to those around them.” Reviewed By: Patsy Glans from RT
To read an excerpt of this wonderful book, go to www.margaretdaley.com and click on “About Books”