Pet Peeves- Literally

I love my sister- she is my best friend! And that is probably why she has the knack of being able to get me to do all sorts of ridiculous things.

I have always had allergies. I outgrew some and acquired new ones. But there are some that have remained my constant companion all these years, some of which are fur, wool, feathers, and animal dander. My little brother also had allergies but his were always worse than mine.

Growing up we always had a dog but they were always kept outside. Very rarely were they allowed indoors, and only in certain areas for a limited amount of time. That changed when I was 14. We inherited a cute little dog Higgins- he was one of those less allergy inducing pets. I still had the itchy eyes and sneezing from him but I adored that dog and he kind of claimed me as his person while he was with us. Our next indoor pet was the coolest cat ever. Scnotty was a stray alley kitten one of my older brothers rescued from Detroit. My sister took a liking to that cat and was the living embodiment of Elmira from Tiny Toons when it came to Schnotty. After Schnotty, was our inferior purebred giant Chihuahua, Art- a gift for my Mom from a close family friend after the last of my mom's kids moved away from home.

As I said, we always had pets of some sort. Now that my sister is married and has children, she has a hankering for a pet. Her husband wants a dog, she wants a cat. So, for Christmas, she decided to get her kids a starter pet- a cat. Starting about a month before Christmas, she began looking online and found a cute kitten nearby. We went together and picked it up.

I asked my sister how she was going to explain Santa's early gift to her kids and that's when she shared with me her brilliant plan. I was to cat sit until Christmas Eve. Here's the thing- I have been away from indoor pets for over 10 years- my 'immunity' to them has worn off! Plus, being a single female and over 30 with a cat? That'd be like announcing to the world I am a hopeless spinster with no interest in sex.....EVER! And, I am at my sister's several times a week and frequently have sleepovers at my place with her kids. How would that work while trying to care for and hide a cat?

So, for the next four weeks, I put up with that annoying little cat. I thought I liked cats, but after dealingwith Cat, I have no use for them and realize taht Schnotty is irreplaceable and incredibly unique! Cat stunk- seriously- that thing suffered from flatulence and halitosis. She was litter trained but she was messy- she could fling litter 12 feet from her box easily. She was clingy. She meowed all the time and if I was sitting she had to be on my lap. If I was sleeping (or trying to), she had to be on my neck- she tried for my face but I wouldn't allow that.

My eyes were constantly itchy. I was sneezing. I was congested. I wasn't sleeping well because Cat purred so loudly and fidgeted and clawed and meowed all night. I had cat hair all over my clothes and furniture. I had to scoop litter out of and clean her food dishes several times daily. I was constantly cleaning kitty litter from every room in my house. I hated Cat and was so excited when Christmas Eve finally rolled around.

Well, Christmas morning the kids discovered Cat and put a healthy, holy fear into her and she hid for two days straight. But then she came out of hiding and my sister got to experience first-hand Cat's messy, stinky habits. Then Cat did that creepy thing talked about in Old Wive's Tales- she became obsessed with the baby and was constantly trying to sneak into the crib with the baby and pawing at hersweet little face. She wasn't kid friendly with the other kids either. And she meowed all night louder than ever and took to biting and scratching anything on the kids that wasn't tucked under covers. So, a week and two days after Christmas, my sister gave Cat to her new family. And the kids were not at all sad to lose that Christmas gift.

But I was bugged. I kept that stupid cat longer than they did. I took care of it and force fed it it's medicine after getting her fixed. I dealt with my allergies and gave up Auntie Sleepovers with the kids for that cat. I had it for almost 5 weeks- she had it for one? Really?!?!?! Erg. I will so talk her out of getting another surprise pet! She owes me...big time....still.