Years, and years, and years, and days ago...

I adopted three stray cats as my own.

Actually, just two. The other one tagged along and went to the bathroom all over my porch. Her eyes were all gunked shut.

Disgusting.

Anyway, the other two cats were nice.

For some reason, I got two bunnies. They always made huge messes, smelled bad, and never wanted to be petted. They would avoid me. Not the most fun idea of a pet, eh?

Then I met a family that had a pet rat. The rat was actually pretty fun, it could go through mazes and be held and stuff. They're not all bad like some people think. (If you haven't given a rat a chance, why haven't you?) So of course I wanted one. In order to get the rat, I was told I had to get rid of my bunnies. Well, one of them died, so that simplified things.

The other I gave away to some random person who said they wanted it.

So I went to go pick out a rat. The worker-lady took off the rat-tank lid, put some food in, and let them eat while I watched. One rat in particular got trampled on his way to the food. I pitied the poor thing, and chose it.

It was very calm and kind-looking. I picked it up, and cradled it.

It wedged it's little nose into the crook of my elbow.

And proceeded to try and ruin my jacket...

At home with the rat, I was playing with it in my living room. Watching from outside, the 3 stray cats looked in through my window. Apparently, they were jealous that I let the rat in the house and not them.

That was the last day I ever saw those cats.

My rat lived to be 3 years old. He got fat, blind, and tried to eat my fingers as often as his food.

If this story isn't depressing yet, you have no heart and only a black hole fills the void in your chest. I was left with no pets.

Skipping forward a bit, an orange stray cat found my porch. I let my young nephew name it. What did he name it? Cattyjackers. >_<

I left on a trip. I came back. Cattyjackers was nowhere to be found.

Walking to the park one day, I saw my adopted stray cat in the window of some old ladies house. I knocked on the door, asked if she had found it recently, and she broke down and gave me (a very well thought-out) sob story about how Cattyjackers had been digging in her garbage for food when she found him on Christmas Eve. The old lady named "her" Angel...

I tried to explain that Cattyjackers was a boy and had been left with plenty of food. I wanted my cat back.

I also didn't want to take something from an old lady (even if it was mine), so I let her bribe me. She said I could pick from a truck-load of any cats that her friend would bring down from a farm. I could pick a blue cat, a green cat, a pink cat, a cat with wings... etc.

Backing away from the old lady slowly, I said goodbye to another one of my pets.

To be continued...