Here I am, 34 years old, a cat owner, and I've never been married. Well, unless you count the weddings I had as a child, you know, where the ring was made out of a dandelion stem. I am pretty sure those weren't official, though. So now I stand before you a perplexed woman. I bring a lot to the table: I'm intelligent, independent, have a great job, am fun to be around, attractive (at least I like to think I am), and I have a very unique sense of humor.
Sure,I used to get impatient about wanting to meet "the one", but the urgency accelerated greatly this past June. Why, you ask? Well...I adopted a cat. Don't get me wrong. Mannie (that's his name) is a great cat and he's been a fantastic addition to my life and a DEFINITE enhancement to my emotional well-being. I guess my fear is growing older and turning into one of those ladies in the cardigan covered with pictures of cats and coated with cat hair. The next thing you know, I'll be carrying a tote bag covered with kitties instead of a purse. Worse yet, what if I start wearing holiday sweaters adorned with festive cats for all occasions?!?!
In the weeks and days leading up to Mannie's homecoming, I talked about him all the time with my coworkers. I showed them his pictures, let them read his profile on Petfinder.com, etc. The day before I picked him up, I received a call at my desk,(from the director of my department, no less)requesting my presence in a nearby conference room. I walked through the door and right into...you guessed it...(or perhaps you didn't)...a CAT SHOWER!!
Cake, ice cream, presents for the cat...you name it, they had it! I was actually pretty excited. Anyone who has known me for long knows that I love when people make a fuss over me. I even have a birthday shopping days countdown to remind people that the "big day" is coming. But I digress.... The more I thought about it, the more I thought about the motives behind such an event. Do my coworkers think I'll never get married and/or have children??? Was this (in their minds) their only shot at throwing me a shower of any kind?? Are they secretly excited to get off the hook and just buy kitty litter and cat toys? This stuff HAS to be a lot less costly than cool kitchen gadgets and china. :-)
In the end, I sort of saw it as my initiation into cat lady-hood. Chilling visions of wearing a cat cardigan with pockets filled with wadded up kleenex danced in my head. I was grateful, however; to have coworkers who cared enough that they would throw me a celebration of ANY kind. Mannie was also super excited about all of his gifts. It brought a smile to my face, and it has brought smiles to the faces of everyone with whom I have shared the tale. I just might have inspired pet showers amongst my friends.
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