But They're Family

There are some people for whom pets are just that; pets. They are loved, but for the most part they are viewed as a bit of a nuisance and are generally tolerated but not celebrated.

Diane is, largely, one of those people.

I, on the other hand, am of a slightly different mindset. For me, pets are part of the family - special members of the family that bring great joy to our lives. I just need to have pets around.

I suppose part of it is how we were raised. We always seemed to have a veritable zoo in our house; with dogs, cats, chickens, a peacock, snakes, lizards, turtles, a rabbit and even a baby squirrel for a while. Life at the Brader house always included pets; and the pets were always more than just animals there for our entertainment. They were family.

That attitude carried over into my adult life, as well.

Take Tiffany, for example. I got Tiffany in the summer before my senior year in college. She was just a kitten. Tiffany was with me through some of the darkest days of my life. She was always waiting at the door for me when I came home from work; eager for me to sit down so she could jump up on my lap. It was good therapy for both of us.

Diane and I got Tasha, a German Shepherd Dog, from the Humane Society shortly after we got married. Tiffany and Tasha used to race through the house; first the dog chasing the cat and then reversed through the house with the cat chasing the dog. They had great fun together.

Though we had several dogs through the years, Tiffany remained our only cat. Diane tried to bring another cat into our home but Tiffany got sick over it so the new kitten went to her parents' house. Tiffany used to board in the dog room at the vet's boarding kennels when we traveled because she hated other cats but was fine with dogs. Tiffany never really figured out that she was a cat.

After all, she was family.

Tiffany had a stroke that affected her ability to see, hear and walk early one Spring morning just a few months shy of her 20th birthday. She had been with me her whole life, and a very large percentage of mine. My heart was broken as I carried her to the vet for what I knew had to be done, but was painful nonetheless. I sobbed as my precious Tiffany took her last breaths. I wrapped her in a towel and took her home where we buried her in a box below the bird feeders that she had intently watched for years. A large rock rests over her grave and I am reminded of her every time I see it.

Tiffany wasn't just a cat. She was my therapist, my friend, my companion and the touchstone to my sanity, at times. Tiffany was family.

It took me a full year after Tiffany died to be ready for another cat. Diane and the boys and I went down to the Wisconsin Humane Society to rescue a cat. Any cat determined to be one year old or older was free. Absolutely free. We didn't have much money, so we stayed in the adult cat room. As fate would have it, I fell in love with one cat and Diane and the boys fell in love with another.

We, of course, came home with both.

Hannah quickly settled into her role as my cat. (We still haven't quite figured out Haley's role.) While Hannah is certainly not a replacement for Tiffany; she is just as loved. She has filled a special spot in my heart (and on my lap) for nearly a decade.

She's not a cat, though. She is family.

Sadie joined us about a year and a half ago. As I have written before, she is my beloved puppy. She's not a dog, though. She is family.

Yes, I am hopelessly attached to our "pets." They are so much more than just animals around the house - they are family.