TicTac
Cats are wonderful furry creatures. However, I did not always think that. I was not exposed to cats until I met my husband, Harold. He loved cats but cats were not one of my favorites. I was led to believe that they were not significant and were certainly not as important as a dog. Also, they were less than dogs and should be ignored and not to be cared for because they can look after themselves. (Yikes) Most of my family disliked cats immensely, therefore I did too.
I began to think, why do we not love cats? Is it because we were not informed about them? Alternatively, perhaps we never gave them a chance to be part of our lives? Then I met TicTac, who was my very first cat.
I was working in the medical field and the receptionist at Brantford General Hospital called me one day and asked if I would be interested in taking a stray cat that was hungry and cold that had wandered in from a field beside where she lived. She already had two cats and her husband was quite adamant there would not be three! In desperation she was calling everyone she knew, please, please take this cat before I have to surrender him to the Humane Society. She told me how loving and gentle he was despite his rough start in life. When I came home from work that day, I mentioned the situation to my husband who thought it was a great idea, seeing as how he loved cats as I did not that much. I was not sure I was ready for this! I had to think it through.
Margaret called again (receptionist at Brantford General Hospital Prep Clinic) and asked if I would please just come and see him, bring your husband of course. I reluctantly spoke to my husband again and told him what Margaret had asked of us again and he convinced me to go and check this guy out.
A long story short, we went to see him and brought him home at five months. On our way home, I was thinking “what have I gotten myself into?”
We named him TicTac.
I was not convinced for a few months that this was a good idea. He wanted to sleep with us and my husband did not think that should be an issue! There was no room for a cat in our double bed. He insisted on sleeping right beside my head night after night. TicTac thought it was a great idea sleeping at the top of my head, as he never stopped purring. Cats!!
Off to the vet, we went and got his needles and concurrently, he became an “it”. Over time, he started to win my heart. I noticed that TicTac was not sneaking or this horrible animal that I was led to believe. He was loving, gentle and brilliant. I did believe that cats were not smart at all, not like a dog. They are smart. It just comes out differently than a dog.
I fell in love with him and he came to be my best friend. My husband and I separated and TicTac came with me. He was everything to me. He would wait in the window every day for me to come home from work. He would see me coming out of the window and run down the stairs to greet me. He was a constant companion. He loved me and I loved him and thus my introduction to cats.
TicTac passed away when he was thirteen. I cannot forget the day I decided to put him down. I sobbed uncontrollably. My best friend, the one who gave me so much comfort. I will never forget my first feline love, TicTac.
Stay tuned, I have had five more cats since TicTac, not all at the same time. I will share each one of their stories with you.
