The Converts

Once upon a time, there was a family. The S family. And the S family was not known for its love of cats. For years, nay, decades, Mr. S. made jokes that went something like this: 'Ha, nice kitty. But you'd be nicer in the freezer!!' 'Ha, I love cats....frozen solid in the freezer!' et cetera. Mrs. S's feelings about cats were less obvious, leaning more toward ambivalence. It has been reported that Mrs. S considered feline purring 'suspicious.' Also, Mrs. S. did not like to touch or pick up cats, finding it 'creepy' that they sometimes go limp when you pick them up, and you can feel their bones under their fur.

Then, something changed. Last autumn, it occurred to S.S. that perhaps she liked cats. Perhaps she wanted a cat. Enter stage left the H sisters, who within hours had convinced S.S. that in fact she wanted two cats, and we'll pick them up tomorrow....but that's another story.

And then, on that October weekend, began a family transformation.

Nowadays, Mr. S. is known to rearrange and even outright lie about his week's plans to enable him to take the felines to the cottage for an extended getaway. He can even be seen--gasp!--walking Charles and Katherine on their leashes, introducing them to the great outdoors as he takes his morning constitutional. While cottaging, the family is often awoken in the morning by the delighted giggles of Mr. S. as he taunts the kittens with a toy. And Mrs. S., apparently no longer finding it stomach-turning to hold a feline, is reported to scoop the cats into her arms for a snuggle greeting upon arriving chez S.S.

Chad and I had dinner last week with S.S. and her much beloved felines, Charles and Katherine. S.S. had received a new shower curtain for Christmas, putting her old shower curtain out of work. The old shower curtain was essentially a huge bath towel with some grommets along the top. So, S.S., of the family not previously known for its love of cats, retained this old terrycloth shower curtain and, all tricky-like, says to me: 'Hey, is there any way you could use this? Maybe sew it into something useful for the Humane Society?'

Translation: 'I am now a great lover of cats, and nothing would please me more than to bring some joy to the felines who have no loving homes. I am personally not in possession of a sewing machine. I find nothing more frustrating than when you're sewing along all fine and the bobbin suddenly goes 'bbzzzeetpppfffft' and you have to rethread the machine. So, won't you please take this old shower curtain and, using your own sewing machine, turn it into some cat beds for the poor, lonely feline souls at the Humane Society?'

So, in a gift made possible by the family not previously known for its love of cats, I shall donate the resulting five cat beds to the Toronto Humane Society.