On Cats & Camouflage

Squint. Can you see him? Yes?

Meet White Cat.

Admittedly, the only reason I snapped this shot was because I was taking pictures of our new home and I wanted to capture our white-stained oak floors and White Cat happened to plop down right in front of me and start purring. And I thought: How perfect! White Cat on our sparkling white floors! Urban camouflage at its very best.

And now. Now looking at this picture I am struck by two divergent thoughts. First, I am reminded of how much I once doted on this guy and his brother Orange Cat (who, fittingly, once blended into our honey-colored hardwoods at our old place.) Yes, before the girls arrived on the scene, the boys were our babes. We adored them. We snuggled them. We played with them. We even bought them argyle vests once! But now? Now, they are still part of the family of course, but things are different. To put it simply: The cats have taken a backseat to the kids. Sad? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

Eight weeks before Toddler was born, we took the cats for a routine visit at the vet. The vet suggested that we take White Cat for dental cleaning. And so we did. During this process, we uncovered that he had a heart murmur. One that turned out to be indicative of a heart condition. The vet stated: I am so sorry, but there is nothing we can do. He can drop dead at any time. (Talk about bedside manner, right?) I recall now how excruciating this news was. I called animal hospitals all over to inquire about heart surgery. I cried myself to sleep. I was purely devastated.

Four years later. White Cat is a bit chunky, but alive and well. He sleeps between Husband and me in bed and often throws a paw over my back. He has also grown whiny, crying out at odd times. And in my heart I know why. It's because he doesn't get loads of attention like he once did. He wants us to notice him. They both do.

And now. There is more competition for them on the way. Another little girl waiting to make her debut. And I think the cats know this. They have started curling up on my belly and purring. They are smart guys. Not human, but intelligent. Very.

Remember I said I had two thoughts? Two divergent thoughts? Well, I did. The other thing that struck me as I looked at the picture above was the idea of camouflage in this world of ours, the notion of blending in. Is it better to blend in, to escape notice and antagonism and lead a peaceful life, or is it better to be bold and conspicuous and stand out and be noticed? What if we had to choose? What if in-between was not an option?

I think I'd choose to stand out. To be noticed. To be appreciated even if that also meant criticized from time to time.

But back to the cats, I feel a bit better now. For writing about them. For admitting that my focus has shifted to my human babes. For remembering just how much I do love my boys.

I close with a soft apology for this random, scattered musing. Cats and camouflage? Yup. That's where my head is this morning. C'est la vie.

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• Do you have a pet?
• Has your relationship with your pet(s) changed over the years? If so, how?
• Do you think parenthood automatically changes the nature of our relationship with our pet(s)?
• Do you like our white floors??
• If you had to choose, would you rather live a camouflaged and peaceful existence or an exposed and more turbulent life?