It's a Catastrophe!

www.hdw.eweb4.com

My husband, Bruce, loves guitars. He plays them, he collects them, he names them. I love cats. I play with them, I collect them (read on), I give them nicknames. So the last TWO(!) times that Bruce came home with new guitars in the last year, we agreed that each new guitar would be equal to another cat for me. I wasn't entirely serious but...let's just say I put it in my back pocket.

Some good friends of ours recently adopted a kitten named Weber. They have two young children, a puppy, and brand new carpeting. So when Weber inevitably imploded that relationship with some very naughty, unmentionable behavior, he needed to be re-homed. Having seen Weber happily allowing our friends'  preschoolers to carry him around and play with him like an accordion, I knew he was a great family cat. So I had no choice but to cash in one of my "Guitar = Cat" cards.

We had 2 cats: Gilbert and Sullivan. While they are much beloved, they are also old curmudgeons who don't abide much kid-handling. We really needed a kid-friendly cat. Margot always wanted to hold and cuddle the cats but that was against Cat Policy #452. And Miles is a true cat magnet for all cats.

Enter Weber, Andrew Lloyd (His original name already fit). An active, kid-loving, rambunctious stripped guy.

Everything is so new and exciting for Kitty Pants

Sigh. So, now I'm officially on my way to this...

Crazy Cat Lady

Interacting with animals influences social interaction between humans and related factors important in this respect, such as trust, empathy, aggression, and a positive mood.

Research shows human-animal interaction helps calm nerves -  just what my anxious boy needs. So this was really a therapeutic move, not a crazy cat lady move, see?

Weber has been a great addition to the menagerie. He actually likes to be "manhandled," as we call it - he doesn't mind being carried around by small arms, dropped to the floor, or rough-housed with. Miles seems to relax with Weber. A great new live tool for the anti-anxiety toolbox!

All in all, Weber is as essential an aquisition as, say, a new classical guitar.

What do you think? Do your pets add to your family's happiness quotient?