I have a confession to make- I am a proud cat dad.  I have another confession to make- I was initially reluctant when my wife wanted to get our first cat.  She begged me to ask our landlord if we would be allowed to have a cat, and I finally got around to asking him.  Literally the next day after getting approval, there just happens to be a pet adoption fair at cat mom’s work.  I looked down at my phone to see about 6 missed calls and a bunch of texts- several with cat mom holding the cat that’s now our beloved Parker.  I called her back and she’s excitedly asking “CAN WE GET HER CAN WE GET HER???” so of course I said yes.   I knew she wanted a pet kitty very badly, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the commitment of a pet quite yet.  She assured me that she would handle most of the care.  That night, Parker was welcomed into our home.

Fast forward to probably the very next day, I’m laying on the couch with Parker snuggling up to my neck and I’m giggling and laughing and having the time of my life.  “Looks like you enjoy having a kitten, too” cat mom would amusingly say.  Soon after, I would be asking to feed and groom her.  “I want her to know I’m her papa”, I would say.   Mom would come home and I would be running around the apartment with a feather stick, playing with Parker and getting her all riled up.  I would also play fetch with mouse toys and she would bring them back to me, sometimes dropping them right in my hands.  When she would come by my desk, I could tell she wanted a place to sit so I would put an old sweatshirt on the desk for her.

When we suspected Parker was lonely and wanted a little sister, I was again a bit hesitant but figured “well, I’ll probably fall in love with this one, too.”  Cat Mom knew she wanted another calico and lasered in on a baby calico being fostered.  “Babe, look at the baby calico!!!”  Once we got her, I of course adored her too.  I thought the two kitties looked so beautiful together with their colors and patterns that I started making drawings and paintings of them.  “Cat Art” became my new thing.  Pretty soon, all my sketchbooks were filled with drawings of Parker and Lily.

We joked about getting a third kitten but didn’t have a name yet.  “We could name her Jasmine” I said, causing mom’s eyes to widen and me to realize I just solidified our future with a third cat.  Lo and behold, after a somewhat random trip to the local shelter, we came home with Jasmine.  Predictably, I grew to adore her.  Taking care of these little creatures in our apartment became not a chore but something fun and amusing.  “Papa’s gotta take care of his girls!”

My wife loves to tease me about how much I love our three kitties, especially because of my initial reluctance.  “You didn’t even know you wanted kittens!  You were so against it at first and now you love our girls!”  At our last apartment, I had a bookshelf that had no use to me, but I couldn’t get myself to throw it away because the kittens loved to sit on the shelves and look out the window.  I also have an old office chair that I haven’t used in years and takes up space;  it’s still in our apartment because the girls just love to sleep in it.  These days, I can hardly imagine taking a nap on our couch without having a kitten sleep next to (or ON) me.  I’m happy to say it- I am a proud cat dad.