I used to be a dog person. I had no use for cats. I thought they were cold, aloof, and too independent.

Things are different now. For one thing, it's my house and furniture a dog would be destroying, rather than my parent's. And I hate being woken up by the sound of a yapping dog. I still like dogs. But now I feel that dogs need room, and therefore belong in the country. I think keeping a dog penned up in a back yard or house in the city is cruel.

More importantly, My family was given a cat by Becky Brigham. Originally, I found him interesting because of his size. He weighed twenty pounds, 'though he wasn't fat. And his head was as big as my hand. He was normally proportioned for a house cat, just on twice the scale. It turned out he was much smarter than any dog I've ever seen. He did tricks, fetched, attacked, and was a ton of fun. Plus cats are clean, don't have to be walked, (although they do beg to play,) and are a heck of a lot quieter. And you can train a cat not to meow when you're sleeping. I have yet to see that done with a dog. (Past neighbors that have claimed that they had done this with their dog lied.)

I haven't ever gone and got myself a cat. They were all given to me by women. The cat I have right now, Anushka, was given to me by Brooke Patowski. She meets me at the door when I come home, fetches, and obeys commands. (Nushki, not Brooke.) It never ceases to amaze people when I tell her to go back in the house and she does.

Unfortunately, these are the only pictures of Anushka I have. I tend to leave my camera on the shelf.

I'd like to get an Ocelot, but I'm afraid it would eat Nushki.

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