I was going to start a thread about this a while back. I hated cats growing up. I had one real pet and he was a black cocker spaniel named Sultan (still is the best dog I've ever been around and I miss him dearly). We got my brother's cats my senior year of high school because he was being stationed in Japan and could not bring them. Now my mom's cats, Tatanka is pretty evil at times and Persephone hid a lot...which didn't add to my enjoyment of cats.

Right before I went to college, my sister-in-law's cat got pregnant and had a litter of six, including Shadow and Whisper. I was attached to them because they were cute little kittens but wouldn't say I loved cats at this point. A year later, Shadow and Whisper were given to me by my brother because the original owners could no longer keep them. I had them for about three weeks before my roommate told me I had to get rid of them because she was allergic...off to my parents they went for nine months.

Five months later, my father passed away from a sudden heart attack. I've told this story several times, but I was completely devastated. Part of me has still never gotten over it and even with counseling, I have not taken it well. About a month after his death, my husband found Callie after someone threw her out their truck. There is something about that cat that absolutely made me fall in love with her.

He brings this ball of orange, crying fluff into our room and a bit of my heart began to heal. She needed me to take care of her and loved me regardless of how empty I felt inside. I hardly came out of my room for months and she would sleep in the crack of my neck, on my shoulder, in my lap all the while purring herself to sleep. It was the day I met her that I fell in love with cats...and I've been obsessed ever since.

I truly love my cats, like I think most people must love their children. I would do anything for them, pay any price to keep them safe and healthy. They make my little house feel like a home and nothing makes me more happy than to come home and see them waiting for me at the door.