Before Jeff and I had kids, we had cats.
Enter Charlie and Lucy.
Jeff has always had cats growing up so it was only natural for him to want to have cats around. I like to think that we got cats to ‘practice’ being parents.
You know, when you get any kind of pet you need to discuss things like what are you going to feed it, who is going to clean up after it, how are you going to train it and most importantly, how many are you going to have. See, all the things you need to talk about before and while you have kids.
It really was good practice for us and that is why I think that we are such awesome parents today.
Like we learned to be a little less strict about the ‘if you pee on the carpet you can’t live with us’ rule. See, our cat Lucy had this issue with peeing on the carpet. We did everything to get her to stop. We even considered kitty anti-depressants because a vet told us her peeing was a result of depression. But in the end her behavior didn’t change and got worse so we had to put her down.
Thankfully now with the kids, Jeff and I have lightened up a little bit on this rule other wise, we would be short a few kids and have a lot of explaining to do since our kids have done a lot more to our carpet than just peed on it.
Since Jeff and I strive to be good kitty parents, once we moved out into the country, we let our remaining cat, Charlie, go outside. We used to keep him inside at all costs but that cat had one heck of a hard on for going outside.
So when we moved away from the business of the city, we let him out.
But this is where I feel Jeff and I made our greatest parenting mistake. I think that we really failed Charlie here.
See, letting him outside has awakened his inner hunter.
Now, I know what you are thinking, how can this be a bad thing?
Well, Charlie is our cat and we are his masters and it is in a cat’s nature to want to bring back their capture to their masters.
I don’t mind seeing a few dead mice here and there or a couple of mole but Charlie just doesn’t leave the whole thing for us on the front porch. No, he leaves disemboweled, beheaded, dead rodents laced with hair balls on my front porch.
It got so bad this summer that while I was yet again trying to clean up the remnants of Charlie’s of late night hunting party from the porch that I threw up and I only missed Claire by an few inches.
I know, I know I am a nurse. I should have a stomach of steal and I do but only for people gore. I can stick my hands in someone’s tunneling wound and then in the next breath eat a doughnut. But there is just something about mouse intestines on a hot and muggy day that just make me loose it.
And if it wasn’t for Charlie howling at the front door to be let out that wakes me up at 2am, I would totally make him an indoor cat once again.
He really is a good cat but that hunting instinct has got to go.
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree, wouldn’t want to have all those mangled dead rodents on my doorstep either!
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Handsome cat – the last picture looks like he has a smirk on his face. He’s probably thinking of that little field mouse that he’s going to go find after the sun goes down.
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I remember my childhood cat bringing an entire family of bunnies, beheaded and leaving them on our porch. My brother and I cried about it for days…….
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Jen Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Thankfully, my children have not been traumatized by this. As babies, one of my triplets used to search these ‘gifts’ out and try to eat them but other than that, no issues.
They were not impressed with my vomitting next to them though.
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I love cats and want some but hubby is allergic so we are debating getting a few barn cats to keep the mouse population down.
Your cat sounds like a great one for our needs!
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Ahhh cats. You’ve gotta love em! I have had cats my whole life and I have to say not one of them ever left me gifts like that! You must feel loved. Great post- stopping by from Mama Kat’s.
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Jen Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:25 pm
The feeling of love that I have does not even begin to describe what I feel for Charlie’s gifts.
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I feel your pain. I’ve had to pick up my fair share of dead rodents left by my cats, too. It’s certainly not fun!
It’s a tough choice: scooping up entrails or sleeping through the night??
Boo to both options.
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This is why I’m not a pet person. Your post had me laughing though.
Thanks for visiting my blog today!
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I, like Cyrene, am not a pet person either. Allergic but this makes me think that there are other reasons:-)
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David always takes care of the gross stuff. Thank God! I have no stomach for that kind of stuff at all.
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I know that I don’t like live mice….and I’m pretty sure I’d not like a dead one either.
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And you just have perfectly explained why I will NEVER have a cat: the cat piss and the dead presents.
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hahahahahaaaahaaaa “tunneling wound” and “doughnut”…LOVE it. SO true.
my cat moved in with mandy before i did. a friend of ours told us that that meant we were married. she was right!
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Jen Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
All this talk of doughnuts has made me hungry.
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Wait – you put the cat down b/c it peed on the carpet?
Anyway, one time? My dog brought me a rat. complete with long scaly tail. Ick.
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Jen Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I was waiting for someone to make that connection. And yes, we did.
Alright, I am totally kidding.
Lucy had behavior issues one of which one peeing in the house. We did a 4 month search for a new home for her with the help of the Humaine Society but because of her ‘issues’ no one wanted her so it was their advice to just put her down.
See, I am not as cruel as you think.
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He is adorable — he is CAT of cats — totally looks like he’s in charge. My husband is allergic to cats — I miss having them around.
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My friend’s dog just killed a rat in their living room on Monday…..and a baby rabbit in their back yard yesterday. Just saying. She’s going a little crazy.
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My cat likes to leave me presents on the doorstep as well. Sometimes dead, sometimes not. Yuck. She also likes to yack up hairballs and leave them in fun hiding places around the house. I just love the little jewels they leave us.
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I had charlie and lucy wrapped up in one cat…he peed on everything indoors or out….even peed on my exs head! And he would leave all kinds of animal remenants around…..I miss him!
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My cat growing up did the same thing … brought us little entrails to marvel at each morning. And the thing is, she was declawed. Once she brought a half-dead rabbit into the house and my mom lost it.
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Jen Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Charlie too is declawed. I have no idea how he does this.
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Yes I already have three kids to clean up after, do not want a pet,
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I always wonder about if we should get a pet. Then I read stories like this and think…now is not the time. LOL. Thanks for sharing
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Our cats are very similar, not only in their physical characteristics but also in their ability to hunt mice and bring us the dead bodies back. Our cat has a flair for leaving just the mice parts, though….a few intestines here, a tail there. She eats the good parts and leaves the rest for us. It’s so disgusting!
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Oh my disgusting. Yeah, that sounds like something that my oldest would lose his lunch over. And I wouldn’t blame him. Yuck.
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I’m bitter about house pets right now. I guess cats are more self sufficient than dogs, but you are awesome if you can handle 4 kids and a cat that brings little disease-ridden corpses home for your enjoyment. Frannie only brought in dead earthworms (and a snake once..) and she got the boot.
Maybe when I’m old and bored I’ll get another pet, but for now we have 3 hermit crabs. Easily caged, can be forgotten to feed for up to 2 weeks, and can’t run faster than me!
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man, that cat must really love you!! lol! but seriously i don’t know how you do it…i don’t think i couldn’t handle that mess. i’d rather take pee on the carpet anyday!
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um, thanks for that “disemboweled rat” vision.
i find it interesting that so many of the people who chose the animal prompt are cat owners. Hmmm…
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And yet another reason to be happy we have dogs!! Yikes.
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Oh boy, I have a Charlie too and he does the very same thing. I seem to receive little dead birds on a frequent basis, along with all the mice. I know I’m really a dog person at heart but unfortunately the kids love this little kitty…not sure my feelings are as strong as theirs!
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