CAT TALES

Cats and old women Judy Conlin

They always talk about old women and their cats. I have had cats since I was a child. I know men who have cats. Children have cats and women of all ages have cats. Still, if you think about it, if old women have pets, it is usually cats .What is the reason for that? I am not a scientist or a veterinarian or a psychologist. I am just an old woman. With that as my only qualification, I still try to figure out the phenomenon of cats and old women. I know old women who have dogs for pets, but they mostly started out with the dogs when they were younger. Women acquire cats even when they are old. I try to be objective. I look up cats on the internet, but I get no help. I am going to have to figure this out on my own. I start with friends of mine who have dogs. Those dogs must be taken out and walked. My friends have trouble walking. They cannot leave their dogs home alone for long periods because they must be let out every so often. They cannot take their dogs with them and leave them in the car for most of the year because it is too hot. They can take their dogs to doggie day care but that gets expensive. If the dogs are large, one friendly jump up greeting can send a friend to the hospital with a broken bone. Dogs are great. I love them also and would love a tiny one, but I know I cannot care for one properly. Cats, on the other hand, do not require walking. They just walk themselves. They can be left alone for long periods if they have food, water and a litter box. They do not cause an expense for boarding on day trips. If a cat jumps on you, it does not tip you over. (They do have a habit of winding around your feet which can be hazardous if you are not careful). The truth is that even a very old woman can care for a cat. I look over what I have written. I do not think this is the only reason for the affinity between these two species. It must be more than that. I told you that I am not a psychiatrist, but I am a nurse, so I decide to plunge into the psychological side of this coupling. Women. For the most part, in our society, have a nurturing role. They take care of their children, their husbands , their parents, but as they age, they lose these roles and are often living alone with no one to nurture. Cats are very independent, but they need the basics. They need food and water. They need shelter. They need to be loved. Old women can still feel needed. In return those cats fulfill the women’s need to be loved. It is a perfect symbiotic relationship. If they are indoor /outdoor cats, they give the woman exercise by forcing her to get up and down and walk around opening and closing doors. Old women, who live alone, find it difficult to come home to an empty house. They can be very lonely. This does not happen if they have cats. As soon as their car turns into the driveway, those cats are at the door waiting for her. They pat her. rub on her and purr loudly. There is no time for self-pitying or loneliness. I think I’ve done a good job figuring all this out. I sit down in my lounge chair happy with myself and drift into a peaceful nap. Suddenly Momau is playing with my hair, and Beebe has dragged his brush over and is clawing at my lags wanting to be brushed. Darn Cats. Why does this old woman put up with this?

More later,

Judy and the cats www.nurse judyinfo.com

CAT TALES

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THE DIRT ROAD WONDER

Crossroad wins 5th straight district championship

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