Hello Kitty!

This is one of my fuzzy children, Murphy. We adopted Murph about 18 months ago as an 8-week old kitten. It'd been a long time since I'd had a baby animal around and I was so excited to have a little critter bounding around the house and causing trouble. I was hoping he would grow to be a snugglebug, loving to be held and loved on, seeking out my lap and attention when I managed to actually sit down for a minute.

Alas, he has not turned out to be this kind of cat. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweetheart and a real goofball. He just doesn't love me in the way I'd hoped. Yes, I had selfish intentions when I adopted him. I wanted another little fuzzer to lavish love on and be loved lavishly in return. I'm a bit spoiled in that aspect - my other fuzzy child, Chewie, is very much a momma's boy and practically begs for my attention. Murphy, however, looks at me dolefully whenever I snatch him up to hold, like "Listen lady, I'm just not that kind of a guy." And he hardly ever purrs. Or at least so I thought. I mean, what kind of a cat doesn't purr-rrr-rrrr when being held and loved on? But apparently, he just doesn't purr for me. Hubby and son both informed me that he purrs at them all. the. time.

So while my little feelings are a bit dented at not being the object of my feline's affection, even though I AM the one who feeds him and cleans his litterbox, I'm happy that he seems attached to the kids. I grew up with cats and I think there's something special about being loved by a cat. Murph always is the first to run into the kids' rooms if they call out in the night, checking to see if they are okay. And he is SO tolerant of them and their shenanigans, it amazes me.

Today I went in to get Zoë up from her nap and discovered this:

So the betrayal is complete. Catching him in someone else's bed is the final straw. And while my heart is sad to not be on the receiving end of his fuzzy love, I'm glad my kids will know the joy and comfort of having a warm, purring friend snuggle up with them.