There's a Cat for Everybody

When I was in Veterinary College, I had a professor named Dr. B. He was an expert in the field of bovine theriogenology –  the study of cattle reproduction. Dr. B was a very practical and learned man who was very good at his job. He had disproportionately long arms and was renowned for his ability to untangle a calf while still inside its mother’s uterus. He had grown up on a cattle ranch in Alberta and he was a highly respected by all the cowboys and cowgirls in my veterinary class.

It was a surprise to us when one day he interrupted his lecture on calving techniques and began talking about his house cats and how much he enjoyed having them as pets. I do not think anyone had penned him as a feline aficionado.

I guess that is one thing about cats – there are many people out there who really like them and these cat lovers are not just little old ladies. According to Twitter, (soon-to-be former) Prime Minister Stephen Harper also likes cats.

And why not? There is a cat out there for everyone. The cat world is full of varied shapes, sizes, and personalities. Sacha and I once had a cat named Calvin. He lived in an apartment for the first two years of his life and did not even know what a blade of grass was until we moved to the country. After a few romps in the great outdoors, he became a very successful mouser. He seemed to thrive in the wilderness and also decided that the soil in the fields and woods was superior to any indoor litter box.

A few years later, a stray we named Barney appeared in our barn. We caught glimpses of him from time to time. Eventually he moved into the barn full time. A year later, he decided the heated tack room was better. The following year he moved into our house. The year after that, he decided to move indoors permanently. The litter box was conveniently located and somehow self-cleaning.

As Dr. B explained to us in lecture that day, “No two cats are the same.”