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All my life I’ve been a dog person. From my time as a child until well into my adult years I had a beagle, a German shepherd-sheltie mix, a border collie, and an Australian shepherd. They were all wonderful dogs. Well, maybe the poodle I didn’t’ mention wasn’t all that great. But other than that, they were great friends and companions. Dogs really take to people, they are sociable, interested, loyal, and all around great animals. But cats were another story. Sorry to admit it but while I was growing up, I can’t recall a single cat I actually liked. They all seemed so angry, temperamental, aloof, and stand-offish. They all had attitudes!

When I became an adult my feelings only intensified. The dogs we had were wonderful. They were fantastic additions to our family. Great friends to myself, my spouse, and my children.  And then the unthinkable happened. One day a small lost kitten wandered into our yard. Actually a neighbor’s yard first but since we were animal people, we succeeded in bringing it onto our doorstep and deck first.

Over the next few weeks the kitten made herself a  part of our family. “Butterscotch” was curious, sociable, and downright people-oriented. I was impressed and very surprised. With each passing day she became an ever more central member of our family. The children loved her dearly. Even the dog learned to tolerate her playful attacks and quick escapes. Then something else strange happened to me. Butterscotch insisted on making her way into my bed on many nights, deciding that the nook of my arm was  a great place to snuggle. She could rest her head on my chest. I discovered that cats can snore.

But unfortunately things change, and after a divorce I found myself pet-less once again. However, it did not last. My 17 year-old daughter firmly announce one night, “We need a cat!” I was not convinced. Cats after all are difficult, temperamental, and unsociable. We had encountered a fluke and I had to explain to my daughter how unlikely it was to duplicate our recent experiences.

Several weeks later we found one from a local shelter that caught our eyes. Only one problem. At the last minute we discovered she had a sister. Needless to say, I could not overcome my daughter’s distressed look, and came home with two kittens.  Unsure of how this would turn out we settled in. And then the big surprise. We had two extremely friendly, sociable, people-oriented kittens.  Charli and Juno quickly became vital and entertaining members of our family. Maybe pet personalities have less to do with the common stereotypes, and more to do with the time and care you show when raising them.