Childcare in Training

I like to believe that having a pet is like putting the on training wheels for having a child. That is, unless you have my cat Tilla. In that case, it feels that on some days I am raising twins. I had heard that cats were weird, but I did not fully grasp this until I adopted one. Almost three years ago, I was doing my volunteer training hours at the Asheville Humane Society when I stumbled upon the face that I now refer to as my furry child. I made my apartment “cat friendly” and completed the adoption process, all the while very excited to add this small creature to my home. Tilla and I spent the next few days staring at each other as she got used to her new living space and I got used to the strange tendencies of a feline. To start, I had to adjust to falling asleep with a ferocious hunter on the loose. For the first few nights I would stretch out completely still in anticipation of her attacking my feet in the middle of the night. After a few days I think my exhaustion got the best of me and I learned to simply get used to this (now) twelve pound weight jumping on me in the wee hours of the morning. Let’s go back to that cat-proofing I attempted for my apartment. Somewhat like toddlers, I am not really quite sure what to expect when I leave Tilla by herself. One afternoon I went to take the trash out- please keep in mind this activity takes a whole oh, I don’t know, five minutes. I left Tilla up in the apartment peacefully minding her own business, which in this particular case meant sleeping. When I returned expecting the same tranquil scene, I was greeting with what looked like a small tornado landing site. In those few minutes, Tilla had knocked her food plate all over the floor, completely toppled her water bowl, knocked all the magazines and flowers off the dining room table and had somehow managed to get her front claw stuck in the blinds. Yup, I came back to a war zone with Tilla looking at me sheepishly as she awkwardly hung there by one paw. Helping a small one get out of a potentially distressing situation and cleaning up a large mess? Check. While this may not fully equate to having a child, I’m pretty sure that one thing is the same; caring for someone or something is nothing short of eventful.