The Cat House

King, Linda 1965

   I've had cats ever since I can remember, and even earlier than that.  With Dad being in the Navy, we moved every 2 - 3 years, so I'd get attached to my animals and then have to find them good homes.  Actually, this picture was taken June 1, 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland, so I was almost three years old.  When I asked my mom whose cat this was, she didn't know, but remarked they used to "find me."  You'll also note I'm playing with a Yogi Bear bubble bath figure, apparently toys were in short supply.  You'll see from this story that the animal lover in our house was my Dad. He was always finding some stray cat and providing a home for them, much to Mom's dismay.  She tolerated cats, but that was about it.  


Lele with her first litter of kittens.

  My first cat was Lele, a pure-bred seal-point siamese.  The name is Hawaiian, which is fitting since we adopted her in Hawaii.  When my Dad was considering the purchase, the breeder questionned him, as I was only 5 and she wondered if I was mature enough for my own cat.  Dad said not to worry, as he was confident I would be a good Mom.  Dad actually paid to fly Lele home from Hawaii to California and then on to Connecticut.  This was one cat I didn't have to give up when I moved.  This picture was taken at Grandma King's house and shows Lele with her first litter:  Loomis, Louie & Lester.  Grandma kept Loomis, a beautiful Lilac-point, and we gave away the other two kittens.  Before we went to the Panama Canal Zone in 1972, we drove back to Missouri to leave Lele with my grandmother.  That cat was the ultimate in spoiled, as my Grandma King used to make her an egg every morning for breakfast.  Lele lived a long life out in the country and kept my Grandma company, and Grandma would always keep me up-to-date on what she was up to.

Francine, July 1978

When I was thinking about this article, I remembered a joke when I was little (maybe about 8 or 9).  I used to tell my Dad that when I grew up, that I was going to have a house full of cats, a cat house.  He used to laugh like crazy, and, of course, I didn't realize he was thinking of the adult-version of a cat house.  In all honesty, I've always had cats and I enjoy the fact that they are their own people, independent, and still very loving and accepting.  To date, I've only had a max of 3 cats at a time, so I've never had a cat house.  Actually, my last several cats have been homeless and in need of adoption, rather than pure-breds.  I keep thinking if I'm ever home enough, I might try a dog for a change.  We'll see. . .