Kitty Therapy

If I am being honest, I regret bringing many of the things into our home that I did in order to keep my three boys occupied every day. It created unnecessary chaos, but I digress. There is one object, however that I look at daily and think, “I am so thankful this was brought into our home.”

I am referring to our living, breathing, and oh so soft kitty, named Hunter. Hunter draws a different kind of joy out of my boys that I don’t see elsewhere. He and I share the important job of comforting in moments of frustration, anger, sadness, or fear. Yes, our faithful furry friend, Hunter is a gift to us.

After losing our other cat when we moved twelve hundred miles from home, we waited three years for a new cat with a similar temperament. Thanks to Hunter, this mom has the perfect example for when her boys hit their teenage years, as to why waiting for other pleasurable things that are going to be much more…ahem…challenging, will be worth it.

Of course, there is always the age old pet debate of dogs versus cats. In our current situation, the thought of bringing a dog into the house to train and care for, feels ludicrous to me. Training my boys to make their beds, get dressed, brush their teeth, and do the dishes every morning, without having to be prompted, is challenging enough. No, a cat is perfect for our current family dynamic.

We decided it would be best for Hunter to be an indoor and outdoor kitty for many good reasons. One, he loves it out there because he was created to be there. Being outside also gives him breaks from the humans that love to cuddle him inside. I am also delighted to see his claws sinking into the bark of trees instead of our couch. Finally, the world is his litter box so there is no smelly or expensive set up.

Cats are therapeutic by their presence alone. I can’t think of a single cat that isn’t cute- even a hairless sphynx. My boys constantly look at him and say, “mom isn’t he the cutest kitty ever?” I personally like to use the word, “handsome,” which I call him more often than I call my own children sometimes, but they find it funny. They delight in seeing me love on what they refer to as our “fourth boy.”

My husband, Ralph was not quite as keen on the idea of bringing a cat into our lives for practical reasons. A pet falls under the category that we often refer to as, “rich people stuff.” They are not a need, but a want. I strongly advocated for one, not because I wanted to see unnecessary money being spent, but because I saw the advantages that a cat, with the right temperament would have in our home.

My boys needed to learn to care for something outside of themselves. I often utter the words, “Hunter needs more than just your hugs. Go feed him and give him fresh water. A dead kitty is not nearly as fun.”

We do our best to keep his expenses low. We had to get him fixed, chipped, and the standard rabies shot because of the more populated area we live in. Because he goes outside, he needs a monthly flea treatment. We’ve tried going without it and that was a foolish, itchy choice. We attempted to avoid buying him cat food, like our last cat, and just let him eat what we make, like eggs and chicken, but we quickly learned that he was Mr. Picky. He preferred to still come in to eat dry food in addition to his outdoor snacks of birds, lizards, and mice.

Yes, my husband, whom Hunter now loves the most, agrees that bringing a cat back into our family has been beneficial. It has not been financially advantageous, but it has been a better investment in our children’s lives than a new play set in the backyard, a power wheels, or a 1,000 piece lego set that loses it’s shininess in a few months. A silky, purring kitty nestled into my children’s arms hasn’t gotten old and I do not anticipate that ever being the case. There’s no therapy quite like kitty therapy.