By Tonya Brantley

There has never been a time in my life when there wasn't the pitter patter of little furry feet around the house. Growing up, my family always had a pet cat or cats. But they were more than just our pets, they were part of our family.

First was Bootsie, a beautiful solid white long hair Angora Persian with one blue eye and one yellow eye. Bootsie was my parent's cat years before I came along. They got her when they lived in St. Simons Island, GA in 1968. Bootsie lived to the age of 15. In 1983, she was in agony after falling and breaking her tail. So she wouldn't have to suffer in her old age, my mom decided to have her put to sleep. Mom cried so hard she could hardly see to drive on the way to the veterinarian. I was very young then, but I knew that was one of the most difficult things my Mother ever had to do.

At that time, my family and I were living in Jasper, TN. When it came time for Bootsie's burial, my Dad prepared a concrete burial plot complete with casket and a stainless steel grave marker that my Dad, the metal fabricator, engraved Bootsie's name, birth date and death date on. Surrounding the marker were stones set in concrete. I haven't been back to our house in Jasper since we moved, but I can guarantee that her grave is still there, undisturbed.

Soon after, my family acquired a new family member named Roscoe (named by my brother and I after Roscoe P. Coltrane of the Dukes of Hazard... it was the 80's.) He was a beautiful orange and white tabby who acted quite humanlike. For example, Roscoe would lay around on his back and often prop himself up on the couch to watch TV. He loved to watch the Atlanta Braves play baseball and Nascar races. Unfortunately, he wasn't with our family for long. A few months after we got him, he ran out into the street, and was struck by a passing car. We buried Roscoe next to his older sister, Bootsie.

For my Mom's birthday in 1985, our family adopted a cute little gray and white kitten which my Pee Paw named PeeDunk (PeeDee for short). None of us knew why he'd chosen that name, nor did we know that PeeDunk would soon live up to it.

By this time, we had moved back to Cleveland, TN. Whenever anyone would flush the toilet in our new home, no matter what he was doing, PeeDee would run to the bathroom and watch the water go down the hole. Once, he fell in. Shortly after that experience, he stopped chasing the flushes.

PeeDunk died of old age in July 2005 at the age of 20. In a beautifully decorated plot complete with beautiful stones and an engraved metal grave marker, his final resting place is in the back yard at my parents house.

In December 1993, we arrived home to a stray tabby kitten sitting at the top of our driveway next to the house. As I got out of the car, I immediately said those words every parent eventually hears, "Can I keep her?"

My mother didn't think my Dad would like having another cat in the house with PeeDee, so I was told I couldn't bring her in out of the cold. So, I would sneak the kitten I named Tinker into the house and the rest as they say is history. My Dad wasn't keen on the idea at first, but now Tinker is my Dad's sidekick. Naturally, when I moved out of my parent's house, I wanted to take her with me, but I couldn't. She's 16 now, still living with my parent's and their two other "kids," Gray, and Maggie.

It wasn't long after moving into a home of my own in 1998 that I realized something was missing. I had spent my entire life growing up with a cat in the house, so to fill the void in my heart, I welcomed "Smokey" into my life. My fiancé had brought "him" home from work one day and I immediately fell in love with the little "guy."  "He" was a little solid gray fur ball with the biggest blue eyes. About a week after "Smokey" arrived, we noticed something wasn't quite right when "he" started acting like a female cat in heat. So, after thinking that the previous owners gave us a "he," we realized the little kitty was actually a "she." We decided to rename "her" Mazzy. 

Mazzy (the Mazz) is unlike any other cat I've ever owned or seen. I'm convinced that she was put here on this earth just for me. Without her, there could've very well been difficult times I wouldn't have made it through. She knows when I'm not well, or if I'm sad, or need a little lovin'. She can always bring a smile to my face. She's my "bubby" (baby+buddy). When the Mazz was younger she lost one of her upper canine teeth that never grew back. Sometimes she does her Elvis impersonation when her bottom tooth catches her upper lip. Who couldn't smile seeing that?

When my schedule was turned upside down in 2001 and I was gone throughout most of the day and night, I noticed Mazzy had developed separation anxiety. I decided to adopt her a little sister to keep her company. Starr, unique in her very special ways too, was just who the Mazz needed. The two of them are not only sisters, but best friends. And, Mazzy (11) and Starr (8) are not just my pet cats, they're my kids too. 

Some people are dog lovers, some are cat lovers, but when you own a pet of any species, show them kindness, playfulness, companionship and above all, love. They will fill your life and your heart with many, smiles, laughs, and unforgettable memories. 

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