Ain't no home without cat (part 1)

Greetings to all my permanent and new readers!

It is my first post in English, but I promise to translate previous ones as well. My blog used to be only about travelling, but now I decided to change its name and to change slightly the subject as well. So now, I will not only write about travelling without borders, but about life without borders. As you already guessed by the name, today's post will not be about travels. It will be about realizing the dreams. For a long time I have wanted to write about what it's like to live with a cat. And now, the time has come.

Traditionally, my posts are written under the slogan #manyletters and that’s why divided into several parts, so this one will also be divided into two. So, the first one will be a very long introduction, about how I have been followed by fluffy animals for all my life.

Since my childhood I have always been surrounded by cats. Even at hardly conscious age, when I could lie in crib for all day long, and my daily routine did not differ a lot from the cat's one. Parents told me that at that time we had had a cat (I do not remember it), and he was very fond of sleeping in my crib near my head. Mom and Dad were afraid that he would hurt me, but nothing like that ever happened.

Then, I remember, we lived for several years with my grandparents in their house. My grandma had a Siamese cat who lived a very long life, 21 years old, I guess (I would ask my mom to correct me if I'm wrong, but she doesn’t understand English). Short after that cat died, I remember as if it were yesterday, my dad's colleagues brought us a small kitten, black, with a white spot on her neck. Surely, the kid [that is me] was amused more than anybody else was. And I was carrying always and everywhere that kitty, and later her kittens so much that everyone in the family called me "cats’ mommy".

In addition to cats, next to me there were always other animals as well. Grandma and grandpa used to have rabbits, dogs and poultry. Parents often took me to the circus, where I loved to have the pictures taken of me with animals. When my boyfriend was in Ukraine with me, I, of course, showed him pictures from my childhood. After having seen them, he noticed that at that moment he understood why I love animals so much.

Well, back to the story. Later, out of nowhere, I do not remember when and how it happened, but I suddenly started being allergic. I still do not know whether to all what has fur, or only to cats. Anyway, any contact with the representatives of royal animals led to sneezing, running nose etc.

In my school years, I spent every summer at my aunt’s, who lives in her own house, and where, naturally, there are always some animals. So, during my presence there, cats and dogs were not allowed to enter the house, and I was protected from four legged friends in every possible way. But it is difficult to follow it when the love to cats is inside a human being from the crib (or maybe even from the mother's womb).

And so I grew up, and a dream grew with me – I was dreaming that when I'm an adult, and am able to decide myself what to do in my life, I would definitely have a cat.

When I was in France, I was from one side lucky, that the family, where I lived, did not have animals. From the other side, even if they had had any, I would have never confessed about being allergic.

And now, for you to understand how the whole situation was epic. In the late spring, approximately 6 months after my coming to France, the family left for holidays, and I stayed at home alone. One day, a cat appeared on the windowsill, just like that:

A gentle soul [that is me] could not let him go without food. The following day he came again. He came in, ate and slept. And then again, and again. The family came back from vacations and they were excited about such a guest. They even took him to vet to check whose he was. It appeared that he lived in the block across the street, and only he knew why he was coming. Here is he, by the way.

In one moment, he stopped coming. We got nervous, the family contacted the cat’s owner, who nicely apologized and explained that she moved to another city with the kitty.

We did not have to be sad for a long time. Just several weeks after that another cat appeared on my windowsill. (I mean, I really attract them) Should I say that we all were surprised? I guess it is quite obvious.

Some time after, my staying in that wonderful family came to an end. Later, when visiting them, I learned that they came back from another vacations already with their own cat.

By the way, nobody in their family learned about my allergy, any its symptoms thoroughly and regularly were kept down with some relatively weak medicaments.

That’s exactly how for my whole life I have been surrounded by animals. In the next part of this story, I will tell about my own kitty: how he appeared in my life and how I we live with him.