Reflections on the Teche

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

I live with a household of pets. I would have it no other way. There’s my constant companion and love of my life, Charlie, part poodle, part schnauzer, perfect mix of the sweetest dog ever.

But today I am celebrating cats. We have three, one diva Mimi who lives inside, and two outside coulee cats Buzz and Bill.

In the fall, my Facebook/blogging friend, Pamela Hodges posted that she was creating an adult coloring book of cats. She wanted cat rescue stories and pictures. Of course, I was in with my diva cat Mimi. She was found in a tree. Her mother had rescued her litter from a flood and taken them all up a tree. When she came to us, she was tiny and the most perfect picture of a tuxedo cat. She even has a perfect bow-tie mustache.

In the process of living with us (or despite us), she has turned into quite the queen. She is actually mean to strangers. She will hiss, bite, scratch if anyone tries to pet her. But she loves me. She will sleep right on top of me. I think she likes that I accept her for exactly who she is.

Pamela had read my posts about the upcoming wedding of my middle daughter, so for her coloring book, she drew Mimi in a wedding gown. Mimi was not at all flattered. Even when we explained to her that she is now famous.

Color the Cats is available on Amazon.

Mimi as a bride

I brought Color the Cats to school and allowed each of my students to pick a favorite. I copied them and for a Friday treat, they could color them. (No one chose Mimi, but I haven’t told her yet.)

Coloring by Emily. “Color the Cats” by Pamela Hodges

Bill and Buzz are famous, too. They are the subject of a bumper sticker we had custom-made at Vistaprint.

Our two outside cats are brothers. They were rescued from a neighbor’s home. Their mother had them under my friend’s house, then she was hit by a car. These little orphans have total opposite personalities. Bill is effeminate with a high-pitched whiney cry that is like fingernails on a chalkboard. He cries all the time. He will go to every window begging to be let in. While Buzz is chill-man. He is big and round and content. He looks at Bill with disdain.

This is Buzz. Be Buzz.

My husband created a family slogan, “Be Buzz. Not Bill.” He loves family things that no one can really quite get. (We used to place a large Santa frog sign in our yard at Christmas.)

Appropriate that you can see cat paw prints on the bumper along with the family bumper sticker.

Celebrate cats. Be Buzz.