The origins of a catwoman (part 3)

Chapter 1- The conversion of a non believer to a cat worshipper (....continues)

As I said before and yes, and once again, shame, shame of me, when I was younger I didn't really like cats or even dogs for that matter (despite the fact that we always had a dog around as I was afraid of them because of a couple incidents I had, when I was attacked by some stay dogs without really getting injured, just very scared!). Instead t I seemed to rather prefer small chicks which I found easy to care for (till at least they'd have grown to adult hens who we would then either keep them for a while for the eggs  they'd produce or who we'd only keep if they were cockerels till they were big and fat enough for the dinner roast). Yes I know, shame of me once again but I couldn't help it. I'd love and care for these small chicks (and I was a very good foster hen mother) till they'd have grown and become adult chickens and I would look like a young female Konrad Lorenz, having them following me around the house or garden but when they'd had grown up all of the sudden I'd just stop caring for them (and looked to care for other young ones all over again) and didn't really care whether my mother would keep them or decide to cook them instead...I didn't even mind eating them, to be honest, as I would have completely detached myself from them...To my defence they didn't look anything like the fluffy and soft balls I’ve used to care for...and those days vegetarians didn't  really exist!

I think it must have been the size and the total transformation that kinda made me so uncaring when they were grown up chickens (a few rabbits too. occasionally) as when I've started looking after dwarf, which we were calling, chinese, chickens I kept them for life and I got really distraught when my first dwarf cockerel, Rico died from old age... and who I've even buried in the back garden. And despite all my then faults I was one of the first and perhaps a pioneer in some way as I would always keep my animals indoors, in the house and often treated them like they were part of the family particular at times when all animals that they were kept as pets were kept mainly outdoors in a special, sheltered area and were even only fed occasionally. In some way I guess they were paying back for that shelter and free food by either protecting their humans or assisting their humans in their activities and hobbits, like hunting, or and in case of cats keeping the rodents population under control. And even after I'd finally had my epiphany moment and became a cat worshipper. I was, at least where I've lived, one of the first that insisted on keeping their cats indoors because it was safer, despite common beliefs and often severe criticism that they should be allowed to roam freely because it was in their nature, pure nonsense really!

So and despite the fact that I would sometimes eat my pets in the end, I've always liked and cared for animals in general including  wounded wild birds which my dad would bring after his hunting trip (which funny enough we would then keep and not eat if they’d managed to survive and recover from their injury and stress of being captured of course) , rabbits, other small birds like canaries, budgies, puppies, etc. but never kittens or cats...I simply didn't like cats that is....till of course that day when I had my accident and a close encounter with a ginger, stray tom cat when I was about 12 years old!

Ozzy looking as alway very cute!!!

To be continued.....hopefully more will be added next week. For more information or if  you have any comments you can always contact me at: kirkiecat@yahoo.co.uk

The origins of a catwoman (part 2)

 Chapter 1- The conversion of a non believer to a cat worshipper 

(...continuing )

Nevertheless, and despite for our purrsonal reasons for having cats, our cats today are an important part of our lives and those of us who live with them could never consider a life without them (although in same occasions we might have secretly considered at times a life without our partners and even without our children or other family members....come on, admit it at least to yourself).

And of course there are always those, well at least some people, who for some unexplained reason they seem not to like cats or even (the savages!!) to hate them and even to want to harm them...Cats have, even now, in these modern and open minded times at least once again for some, a bad reputation of being mean, independent, unpredictable, wild and even dangerous...Of course these people seem to forget that today domesticated cats, and especially the Homo catus species (indoor only cats in my own feline family tree, who and over the year, have evolved to a new subspecies) have lived with humans in cities, towns, villages, farms, etc for over thousands of years now and therefore they can't  be considered to be wild anymore (as some cats can't even catch a toy prey let alone a living fast moving one...) and like dogs they can be trained, they are loyal and faithful and even better talking and listening companions...

But I don't want to dwell for too long on why some people seem to unreasonably dislike cats (maybe there is something in their unconscious mind, which they try to forget or ignore as this something might remind them that cats after all are not so different from humans, despite their small size, soft fur and tail.. cats with thumbs?)

So and to return to the people that they do like cats, each one of us has his/her own reasons for liking cats and also perhaps their different origins in their reasons for liking our feline companions. Early experiences perhaps, growing and living in homes where cats were always around or even having a sort of epiphany at some point in their lives or even like with my own case, they had a rather strange experience at some point in their lives, which kick-started  this great relationship with those magnificent animals.

At this point I think is about time that I confess something...that as a young child I didn't really like cats...I was kinda afraid of them and that I used to prefer baby chicks and birds instead...To my defence I've come from a country where till recently (or even now for at least some really cruel people who seem to enjoy killing cats for their own mean reasons) cats weren't very popular, they had a bad reputation, and they were  many stray and they were serving only one purpose  to catch rats and mice and not to be kept as companion animals indoors!!!

It is true that where and when I was growing up cats weren't the popular animals they are today and most people seemed to prefer dogs to cats who they could serve their ‘human masters’ by guarding and protecting them or in the case of my dad and too many other hunters those days, when they were going hunting, so they could find and retrieve fallen, killed or lost birds...

Those days dogs and cats would stay outside in a sheltered place (if they were lucky that is) and they would only eat human leftovers. Yes now and when I'm reminiscing those days I do feel really ashamed especially when remembering how badly dogs and cats were really treated, with cats often being poisoned to reduce the numbers down while dogs were kept tied up, day and night, almost all year around...But I guess, and unfortunately, I didn't know any better those days as we were living in a world  where only humans deserved  to have a 'good' life and anything else, any other living organism was expendable, it lived only to serve or sustain humans and they couldn't feel or know anything as they were  mere 'dumb and stupid animals!!' So bad and sad really...

But at least we can all be thankful that now things have indeed changed and cats and dogs are treated in most cases like equal family members...although and even now there are still some exceptions to these rules and some people are still mistreating their animal companions....Unfortunately some humans can never change or they would openly admit that all animals have their place in this world and that they have the right like humans to live their own lives as nature intend it...live and let live!

But the past can't be changed, no matter how much we might want to and sometimes there is no much point in thinking too much how different things might have been. Instead it is better if one can focus on the present and on the things that he/she can change now and subsequently influence the future. So and instead I'll just carry on telling you that part of the past that is relevant to this part of the story so I could explain my own origins of my cathood!

Faith, who we adopted along with Ozzy about six months ago, sleeping in her favourite spot!

(to be continued next week....)

You can always email me at kirkiecat@yahoo.co.uk if you have any comments or questions!  i

The origins of a catwoman (part 1)

 Chapter 1- The conversion of a non believer to a cat worshipper

Sometimes I do wonder, you know whether things would have being different under different circumstances. Whether I would have taken another path in life that it wouldn't involve cats... so much.

But in this reality I'm one of those persons who loves cats, I'm a self-confessed and obsessed catwoman  catpurrson and I can't really imagine ever living a life where there are no cats in my home to care for. I also know that some might think that I'm perhaps 'a bit obsessed', you know, loving and caring for my cats more than I really care about other people...

You know, all of you cat crazies out there what I'm talking about if you're one of the many cat people, those people who always put his/her cats first,  so you can accommodate all their needs, whether it is feeding demands or trying to minimize  all stress levels in your home (never play any loud music and generally any loud sounds that could upset them, and of course allowing no visitors under any circumstances in your home or considering going on holidays or even be away for more than a day with your partner as at least one of  you has to be at home at all times to keep an eye on them, especially  when you are looking after very demanding kitties or cats that are seem to be getting a bit old and therefore more needy...more than usual that is, phew!).

Of course I also believe strongly that cats are coming first, in any cat's worshipper home that is, like my own at least and as long as my cats are happy I'm happy too and therefore warnings such as: 'don't touch a hair of my cats' fur or you'll die...' to other people, that is, should not be taken lightly, like I'm just joking...because I'm not, seriously now!

People who have an  do care for cats probably get me, others especially those who don't like cats they have made already their judgement about me, they think that I'm a crazy cat lady that needs help…well I don't, I’m quite happy the way I am, really. 

But I'm not crazy,not really, I just love and admire cats, I'm a normal catpurrson who loves cats and who seems to have some special connection with them, sharing some unique relationship with them, which I don't think I would ever have with any other species, and in particular with any other human being, although I do love all animals and respect all life on this planet (including human life...although at times I do have my own doubts, especially when it comes to some human thinking and behaviours!).

But of course all of us, humans, have our  own reasons for living with and caring for our cats. Although they do seem to some extent  to fulfil our anthropomorphic way of thinking as they do, at some level at least appear to have similar human physical characteristics and personality traits from the way they look, feel when they're touched and behave or even in some cases 'talk' to us with their many different meows and squeaks or even purrs at the same time they also seem to play an important and different for each of us, role. They can be our companions, close and trusted friends, the children who we wish we had or even we let them be in some cases the part of ourselves who we wish we were and allowed to be, free to do what he/she wants when outside, as there are for us, humans, so many rules and norms which they seem to prevent us to be the individuals who somewhere in the unconscious part of our brain we really want to be...wild and free, confused yet? Yes our cats in some respect can be our mini us, a still wild and free us...out there!

Ozzy he is our lattest addition -very cute and very playful ...-too playful at times perhaps!

Till next week when more will be revealed...You can always email me if there are any comments or questions at: kirkiecat@yahoo.co.uk

Introductions

Sometimes it's good to finally confess and tell things about yourself that perhaps not too many might know or even worse, might not really want to know...But then again sometimes letting others know about your past mistakes can be a good thing, a learning experience for yourself and others....
Looking back at your past you can recall fond memories but also horrible ones, when the lack of knowledge and experience made you do things that now not only you regret but also try to forget. But when you recall those memories and even better when you actually somehow record them and then make them available for others to read and make their own judgement yo come to realize that perhaps is not such a bad idea  after all because making mistakes, admitting and finally learning from them is part of the life experience, which you need to share with others so in the future they won't repeat those same mistakes.....besides some of those mistakes can be at least amusing if not too embarrassing that is...
This is why I've decided to write about my own experiences, my own origin and the process of eventually becoming a craze catwoman because nobody is born purrfect but he/she makes mistakes and then he/she learns by those mistakes and hopefully gets bette ...Of course I must  admit that I had also very good teachers too, my current 4 purffect and beautiful furbabies (two of which of course are in charge of this blog), Ripley and Ozzy and also Choo Choo and Faith....who all make me my life (and my partner's too) not only fulfilling but also worth getting up in the mornings even if it is to just clean and empty the litter trays or to fill up empty food bowls...they most definitely worth it!