Kaylee and the cat

Kaylee loves cats. No, not to eat. Just to love. I knew that, but I wasn’t aware just how much she loved cats until recently.

We walk the girls early in the morning before most people are up. There’s one person who gets up before us, though: the lady down the street who feeds the neighborhood’s stray and feral cats (and, I’m sure, a few with homes cadging a free meal). Cats are usually hanging out in the vicinity of her house when we’re walking, and while the dogs are always interested, apparently cats are allowed to be there, so they don’t over-react as they do when they see cats elsewhere on our walks. The cats usually just ignore us and the dogs. After all, they’re cats.

A few weeks ago, however, a little black & white cat started paying attention to us. More precisely, it started paying attention to Kaylee. For about a week, it would be waiting for us when we went on our walks, either right in front of the cat lady’s house, or across the street. It would meow at Kaylee, rub up against her, and Kaylee just loved it.

And then the cat stopped showing up.

Kaylee didn’t stop looking, but the cat just wasn’t there. Now, Kaylee walks happily down to the cat lady’s house, and when she gets there, looks around for her cat. If it’s not there, no big deal – it could be across the street. So she drags us through the rest of our walk until we get to the point opposite the cat lady’s house.

And she waits.

Kaylee becomes a forty-five pound anchor when she doesn’t want to move. And if she doesn’t see her cat, she doesn’t want to move. She checks under cars, on steps, anywhere she can think to look. And the cat’s not there.

The cat’s still around. Both Jeff and I have seen it at other times … taunting us. But it has proven to be a fickle friend to Kaylee. We've explained that cats are just like that, but Kaylee just doesn't understand.

I’ve suggested to Jeff that we just need to get Kaylee a cat of her very own. He objects, just because he has major allergies to them.* I pointed out that there are now hypoallergenic cats, but Jeff says he doesn’t love Kaylee $6,000 worth (I made sure to tell Kaylee how selfish he is).

So, if anyone has a spare hypoallergenic cat they’d be willing to part with, Kaylee would be very grateful. Until then, she will faithfully wait for her friend to recommence their morning meetings.

*No, allergy shots don’t work, and even with prescription meds, he’s miserable around cats.