As a dog owner for many decades I have loved all my dogs from when I was a little boy - Spot, Frog, Susan, Donna, and Sandy. All were loved well and family members. Frog used to get loose and bring dead cats home to my father as gifts. Susan lived to be 19 years and ten months at my house. Sandy, the gentle rottweiler, lived more than 15 years at my house and was "buddies" with Susan.

But cats are something else.

If your cat gets petted by you and wants to be left alone the cat will let you know. No, you will not be torn apart by teeth and claws - the cat will simply move away in a huff or if lying down will swat you gently with a paw (claws mostly in) or bite you quickly but very gently so as to not break any skin. If you stare at the cat and ask it why it nipped you it will stare back, roll over, and go back to sleep. You get the message. You don't mean a damn thing to the cat at that moment in time.

If, however, you pet a cat while it is lying down and it's in a good mood, the cat will quickly grab your hand with it's two front paws (claws in) and draw your hand to it's head. The cat will lick your hand as if you had just hit the lottery and given all your money to the cat.

Before dawn the cats know you're sleeping but they are hungry. They are nocturnal creatures and have been sleeping all through the prior afternoon while you (as a human) have been active. They can see in the dark with a remarkable eye set-up that Mother Nature has provided for them. They will jump into your bed. Mom Nature makes them get up for the pre-dawn hunt but as domesticated animals now they are hunting for me.

Cats prowl with stealth and have a lot of intelligence. Sometimes I am in my recliner reading or watching TV and get a poke to the back of my head. I have no idea how the cat got upstairs or got to the top of my chair. They are quiet creatures when they want to be and you will never see or hear them.

They know that you could be pissed off by getting out of bed before dawn to feed them so they go easy on you. Your feet and legs get some gentle kneading with the two front paws (claws in). Or a cat will walk gently up your body from the feet and make it a mission (if you're a male) to step upon your groin with at least three feet - once upon your chest the cat will gently step off, sit by your shoulder, and just stare into your face from about three inches away while breathing upon you. You wake up, get pissed off, and get out of bed. The cats leap off the bed and race off like rockets.

When you get downstairs to take your morning leak you will walk by the kitchen on your way to the bathroom to bring relief to your bladder and ancient prostate gland. The cats are camped around the feed dishes but you have priorities. You go to the bathroom and pee happily and just thank God that you have seen another morning.

As you open the bathroom door to leave there are three cats parked just outside and they are all staring at you intently. You walk by them, go to the kitchen, and start opening packages of premium cat food. The cats begin mewing with joy and rubbing up against you with their backs arched. You feed them and then they all go back to sleep and none of them give a fugg what you do.

Yes, I love my cats.

Larry, it was nice of you to take in a stray and give it a comfortable home. Nothing wrong with loving animals. Only problem is we miss them so much when they die. Worse yet is when we have to put them down.

I so miss Suzzie and sandy. Suzzie the most. Had her from 1 year til I was 20.