I have never had a cat. Or should I say, a cat has never had me… Growing up my mother was so allergic to cats that I was not even allowed to hold a cat for fear that I would drag home cat dander which would set my mother off on an asthma attack. So I really have absolutely no cat experience whatsoever. I have always been “a dog person”.  To be perfectly honest, I have never had an interest in having a cat. From what I understood, cats live on their own terms… not that that’s a bad thing! But I have gotten used to a dog greeting me at the door with a wagging tail. Dogs, most dogs, are always happy. They give unconditional love. They love you and it shows. From what I was told, cats generally don’t give a damn if you come home or not…. If they are in the mood, they might allow you to pet them…. They will grace you with their presence … when they feel like it. They scratch up the furniture and walk on the counter tops. And don’t get me going on the litter box…

When we moved into the farm it became clear rather quickly that we would be needing a barn cat. Egidio and I cleaned out one of the smaller barns to house his tools and we displaced dozens, and I mean dozens of mice. It was gross! Winter is coming so the mice will be finding new homes very soon. I really didn’t want their new home to be MY home. Egidio is not really a cat person either, so I began to introduce him to the idea of a barn cat. We would of course supply the cat with warm shelter and food… all in the barn. We never discussed having a pet cat in the house. I also began to talk to my kids about having a cat. I know to all cat lovers this sounds rather heartless… but my kids didn’t really like cats. My daughter Parker was jacked up by a cat when she was very small and she still remembers it. And no, it was not her fault. She reached her little hand out to pet a cat that we were told was very friendly and it tore her up! So with bad cat memories, the idea of a pet cat was not met with excitement. I explained to the kids that we would find a friendly cat to live in the barns. We would feed it, and it, in exchange would keep away the mice and God willing, the snakes. After several days of cat questions, most of which I could not answer, they were okay with the idea of a cat cohabiting with us on our farm.

A few days later, Parker came home from a soccer game and told us that her friend had acquired a cat that needed a home. The cat was one of three who were basically dumped off in this friends neighborhood. Everyone in the area knew that the cats were roaming around but they kind of stayed to themselves. We suddenly had a very cold weekend last month that forced the cats to try to find shelter. This little kitty made its way to our friends house but the older cat they already had was not too happy about the situation. The new cat needed a home or it would be placed at the SPCA.

Of course, Parker came armed with kitty photos and a plan to love and care for this poor little kitty. I figured, why not? The cat needs a home, we need a cat… it was a no brainer.

“Autumn” arrived two days later. I was expecting the typical cat. One that really wanted nothing to do with us. What I didn’t expect was to fall completely in love with the beautiful little creature that acts more like a dog than a cat. I am completely blown away by how sweet and affectionate she is. She follows us around like a lost puppy. In fact, if I am sitting on the toilet she comes into the bathroom and sits directly in front of me… facing the same direction as me, as if she is thinking “don’t worry, I will protect you from all who enter.” My son Connor called me the other day, no, not to see how I was, to ask about Autumn. She is so affectionate that she actually demands attention. She will follow you around and meow until she gets picked up. She even likes to snuggle. At night she has to sleep with someone, she usually plays musical beds. She starts out in Parker’s bed, but around 4:00 am she will come find me… as if she has to spread the love. She likes to sit on your lap and look into your eyes. She follows up with rubbing her face against yours.

Needless to say… Autumn is NOT our barn cat. Autumn has never even SEEN the barn. She has a pink and silver collar with a matching harness and leash. She has her own drawer in the kitchen full of treats just for her. And I am PRETTY sure that Santa will be leaving her something special under the tree. Autumn stole our hearts… That is one smart kitty!