Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Transformation Complete!

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

I was sitting down with a client at the cats-only boarding facility the other day, talking about her pets and my pets. She has two cats and a dog; I have two dogs. Eventually, the conversation got around to how dog people sometimes don't understand cats (and vice versa).

Then I made my confession: I wasn't really a cat person before I started working at the boarding facility.

I'm a lifelong dog lover. My encounters with cats growing up were few and far between... and often negative experiences. The next door neighbors had an adorable grey cat who would come running up to bite my feet. (I guess I had smelly feet as a kid.) Cats owned by friends would often hide when the house was full of kids playing.

I started to wonder if there was one specific event that converted me into a person who understands and appreciates cats. Was it Sam, the cat who wanted nothing more than to be held while I worked? That guy would happily flop over one arm while I cleaned or prepared food. He tries to climb up onto my shoulder for a ride every time he's in to visit. Was it Pooky, the first cat who ever gave me kisses? I certainly never expected to have a cat lick me.

Maybe it was the aggressive cat who turned into a purring lap cat once we moved him into an isolation ward -- so he couldn't see or hear the other guests. It was wonderful to see his "at home" personality finally come out. Or maybe it was the kitten who hid in the corner of his cage for five days, barely eating, until he decided we were safe. After that, he was a whole new cat.

I don't actually think there was one incident that converted me into a cat person. It was a gradual process over the last year and a half -- every guest I've touched has touched me, too. I've learned a lot about cat psychology, and cat personality. I've got to experience kittens, seniors, and everything in between -- sick cats, healthy cats, playful cats, stressed cats.

So although I don't know exactly when it happened, it has happened: call me a cat person AND a dog person.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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