By Rosie Preston
When the virus seemed to hit us like a slap in the face, I didn’t comprehend the changes it would bring to my household. For example, Phil and I decided to take some comforters and pillows to a laundromat. Within minutes of walking inside, I found myself laughing and conversing with strangers. It made me realize how much I have missed getting out of the house. You know you have felt lonely if going to the laundromat was so much fun!
Then last week brought an uplifting surprise. Phil and his grandson, Trevor, found seven kittens in the empty house behind ours! We have spent hours watching them and getting them used to the human touch. Yesterday, I noticed the little black and white runt of the litter was hiding in the corner of the crate. We brought her out of their box to find she was very small and skinny. I called my cat-lover friend who advised me on how to feed the kitten. I did it! It was a first for me, so now I’m being called Momma Kat.
That’s fine with me. They delight our family as we hold the kittens. It’s amazing that all the kittens have blue eyes, just like me. When I say human touch, I realized how important the touching is between loved ones. Our two dogs and two cats bring joy because they love to be petted. Before the virus, I had taken for granted the importance of their companionship. Often, on TV, people are taking pets to visit their family members in a nursing home or a hospital. I love to witness the children’s delight as they smile and enjoy the animals.
We are the parents of four pets: two dogs and two cats. Layla, one of our dogs, was rescued from the Humane Society. She’s a beautiful, short-haired, spotted mix and weighs around fifty pounds. Dixie is our little fat dog. I laugh as I tell people she is like me — pear-shaped and can’t seem to lose weight! She’s mostly black with a few brown and white markings. When we found her, it was apparent she was starving, which was reason enough add her to our household.
Then there are our two cats. Preston Kat is a long-hair bobtail cat who has to be shaved every summer. Basically, I come first in his life, but he does have his routine with Phil. He is very predictable as every morning he sits in Phil’s lap for affection. Then when I get up, he comes straight to me. Our new cat, Mocha, was a very small kitten we found in our yard. She looks like a Siamese cat. Preston Kat amazingly took to her like she was his baby. My goodness, I thought because he’s a male cat he would not treat the baby kitten like he was her mother. Now they are about the same size. Every morning they play fight. Sometimes they look like a spotted ball rolling down the hall as they go at each other with such force that we begin to worry. But soon they settle down close to each other for a nap. I guess they have had their exercise for the day!
So if you find yourself lonely from being at home most of the time, think about the affection a pet may bring just by something as simple as a touch. You may say, “I don’t have to be lonely anymore!” A pet will enjoy your touch as much as you do theirs, and it may bring a smile to your face!
Keep Smilin’, Rosie Preston