I'm a Cat Mom

I don't have kids.

But I have cats.

I have four fantastically funny, furry, feline friends and they make me smile every single day.

Now don't mistake me, I'm not comparing cats to kids here...no, wait a second. Yes I am. While they may not speak English, require lessons in manners or the alphabet, or need me to eventually pay for their college tuition, they are every bit my four-legged children.

Let me explain.

How My Cats Are Just Like Children

They keep me company, snuggle with me when I'm sad, make me giggle on a daily basis, and miss me when I'm gone--even if it's just for an hour or two in the afternoon. It's true. I even have video proof.

If you can't see the above video, click HERE, or copy and paste the following code into your internet browser: http://youtu.be/oTh1Hg1-nbQ

They require my attention when it comes to their health, welfare, and food. Especially the food part. Pip never lets me forget when it's time for a meal.

They enjoy being the center of attention, and will do whatever is necessary to ensure that you're paying attention to them. And not that show you're watching, that laundry you're folding, or that book you're reading.

They bring me such joy with their antics that sometimes it's a wonder that my heart doesn't burst from loving them so much. Whether they're playing with a plastic lid from a water bottle, sleeping all snuggled together in a group, or hiding from the world in a discarded cardboard box, it makes me giddily happy to see them have such a grand time in their little lives.

I constantly fret over them, nurture them, spoil them, and adore them. When somebody wants a snuggle, they're getting a snuggle. All other things---work, life, phone calls, meal preparation---will wait until the snuggle is over.

So many people have told me that when I have my own kids that it will be different. That I'll still love my pets but that I'll love my children in a different, bigger way. Well, I just don't see how that's possible. 

Because I already know how being a Mom feels, even if it's only to four fuzzy little faces.

Abby Writes A Mommy (ish) Blog

I read a lot of blogs. I laugh, and learn, with Alex from Late Enough. I revel in the beauty of Simone's words on Greatfun4kids. I'm convinced that Ryan, author of The Woven Moments, is my long lost twin, or at least that we're destined to be best friends. I have something in common with each of these amazing women--we write blogs. 


But they have something in common that I don't share.


They are Mommies.


I actually read a lot of "Mommy Blogs." I cheer with them at their children's successes, empathize with them their parenting struggles, and make ooey-gooey-cuteness noises at the adorable pictures of their offspring that grace the pages of their blogs.


Mommyhood is a sorority I'm desperate to pledge. I dream of my future children, my arms ache to hold them, I even write them letters.


But in a very huge way, even without children, I am a Mommy. I have four inexcusably charming kitty cats who are, in their very own way, my four-legged children. They make me laugh, they make me cry, and although I'm not 100% sure what it feels like to play Chase and Pounce and Catnip Toy, I'm pretty certain I can guess.


So today is a blog for me--a Mommy with furry children. I can't barrage you with photos of my doe-eyed, tow-haired children. But I CAN barrage you with photos of my cats!!!

Things I Find Ridiculously Adorable About My Fur-Kids:

Toe Floof (ie: the fur that grows out from between their toesies)

Pink noses. (Or brown or black or whatever color they are. Noses are cute.)

They way they sleep all smooshed up.

Brotherly snuggle time. Awww.

How FREAKING ADORABLE they are as kittens. Seriously. HOW CUTE IS THAT?

That "Hey Ma, whatcha doin? Huh? Huh?" look of utter curiosity.

Similarly, that "I'm-super-excited-about-this-game" face they make when they're wound up and rambunctious.

Their creativity when it comes to game play is endless.

And their ferocity and man-cat-ness  is blatantly obvious.

I could go on and on for hours. Seriously. I have over a bazillion pictures, and more than half of them are of my cats.

But my favorite "cute" thing about them? The slurpy noises they make when they eat.

So I may not change dirty diapers. I may not worry how my actions will irrevocably damage or enlighten them. I don't have to fear that society will ruin their innocence or mar their sense of well-being. 


But I do change litter boxes. And I love each of them with more of my heart than I ever thought I could give. They keep me company, they annoy the bejesus out of me when they're hungry, they keep me on a schedule, and they wake me up in the wee hours of the morning. They love me unconditionally, they make me laugh on a daily basis, and they cheer me up when I'm sad about not having furless babies.


So I guess, technically, that makes AbbyGabs a Mommy Blog afterall...right?