Kitties

Cats have been significant to me all my life. My first pet was a cat named Tan Panther. She was a feral cat who lived under the house my Aunt lived in. My Dad brought her home (with a sister for my sister) when I was four years old. She was MY cat; semi feral and wary of all other people. She was very intelligent and capable - she was an outdoors cat. She used to bring me dead rodents and leave them on my pillow to find when I woke up. She'd be lying there just in my vision purring and the rat or mouse would be just out of sight next to my head. I'd turn my head to see the cat and hit the mouse corpse she had brought me like a good little kitten. I loved that cat. I've always had a way with them; I feel that they and I quickly ome to understand one another once we've had a chance to get acquainted and the cat relaxes around me. The latter can take time though.

My first adolescent love (from afar, of course - I was way too shy to say anything to her - petrified any time she even got near me) was named Cat Valentine. The name still amazes me. "Valentine" is like a cartoon name for the beautiful teenage girl some younger, geeky kid has a crush on. Her long blonde hair, brilliance (did I mention it was a magnet school?), a romantic scene etched into my soul the last day I saw her, etc. - no need to point out every one of her infinite charms - haunted my dreams all through my adolescence.

Sadly, but necessarily, the passion died slowly over the years. It's not like I actually knew anything about her or could possibly ask her out. I was still intimidated and over time had no contact, so, it left. She's married now anyway I am told and is probably not the right personality for me anyway, or I for her.

In any case, not only did I have a cat, and have a crush on a Cat, but H.P. Lovecraft attributes great power and goodness to cats in the Dreamworld. I relate to much in Lovecraft; this is one of those things. My handle is another, in case you didn't catch that fact. I do NOT relate to his racism, I should point out. He was very racist.

However I do relate to his Dreamworld, and his image of cats. Cats are fighters for good in the Dreamworld, and travellers back and forth. In the real world there is a superstition that cats can see into the spirit world which likely influenced Lovecraft.

Another important cat - the Tae Kwon Do school I earned my Black Belt in (it's gone now...the building is being used as something unmemorable now) used the symbol of a tiger as part of the school logo, and we were taught to "fight like a tiger" - to observe tigers on Nature shows and learn from them.

The university I attend (I'm working on my Master's in Secondary Education) has a Panther for a mascot, and the high school I dropped out of uses a Lion.

Cats are great.