A Cat's Tale

From as far back as I can remember, we have always had a cat in our home. My dad's family loved cats. My mom's family, as she was growing up probably had cats to keep the mouse population down, but I have only heard her talk about the dogs they had.My earliest memory of a cat in our home, was when I was about 5. I was afraid of them, so when our cat had kittens, I carried one in an upside down hat, so it wouldn't scratch me. My brother, on the other hand, inherited the cat lover gene from my dad. He took those baby kittens, put them in my babydoll stroller and came in first place in the annual "babydoll" parade we had in our town. My mom dressed us both up. He in a black top hat and suit and me in a colonial-looking dress. I did not place in the parade because my stroller carried a babydoll of all things:)
So from house to house we would have a kittley-cat, as my brother called them. Even though I would sneeze, have watery eyes and one could tell there was a feline allergy there, my family's motto was, "The cats are here to stay."
I don't know who was in charge of the naming of our cats, but here is a sample: Puddy,Pooper,Rocky,Sugar (both of these being named for the boxers Rocky Graziano and Sugar Ray Leonard), Milo, Dixie, and Demerit. At present, I am finding myself still around cats. Even though my allergies are still around too. My mom's second Milo cat is one that I care for although he lives outside these days. I also feed a feral cat which I captured in a crate, took it to get it spaded and released again. She is called Cat Scan (my husband named her) and her kitten, Will Feral, which is about 1 year old now.
My daughter, who has the same love for cats that my dad, mom and brother had, rescued an expecting cat a few months ago. She didn't know the cat was expecting. She just found the small one outside of her apartment complex and took her and her kitten in. I think that since she had a small kitten with her, we just didn't consider the fact that she was pregnant with yet another litter.
That first kitten, a male, is now happily living on a farm with several other cats. He has a wonderful home.
Then on December 6 of last year, the 5 little kittens were born. Four males and 1 female. Yes, they were named, Big O., Baby Girl, Loud Mouth, Bojangles and Hissy Fit. She named the mama, Mamacita.
So now my new job description is Home Finder for Cats. I have found homes for four of the kittens. Two went to a family with a boy and a girl. Two went to a family with 2 girls, one for each. I happen to see the lady who took those two quite often, so I am told these cats wear outfits and are getting fat. So they're happy!
Tonight, Hissy Fit, will go to a family with 3 children. Mamacita may be going to an elderly lady who has called about her. Even though, I am not a cat person, I do get attached to them. I try not to pet them too much and when I do, I wash my hands to avoid the effects of feline fur. I was especially attached to our Dixie cat, but she was incontinent due to the breed- a manx. "Smelly Cat" as Phoebe on Friends would sing about would have been what Dixie was too.
If you happen to have a cat that needs a loving home, don't call me.