The Generation X Files

I started this blog last week. I haven’t written for a few years and I wanted to see if I’d lost my “voice”.

I’ve written a post every day so far. I’m already finding that I have more to talk about than even I thought!

I am trying to organize the turbulent ocean of my thoughts into a more tranquil stream of consciousness.

I open up the laptop without a fixed plan for my posts. I start typing and see where it goes.

Today though, I saw the daily writing prompt and knew that THIS is a question I had to answer!

Of course I can give you a list of things that are good about having pets. From companionship to health benefits there’s a plethora of reasons you already know.

Personally. one of my favourite things about owning a pet, is playing out in real time as I write this. I have a fluffy companion sat watching me, purring with approval as I type.

I’d like to think it’s because she likes what she’s reading. But we all know it’s because she likes to watch my fingers skittering across the keyboard…she’s a cat after all!

I love the complexity of cats. I always feel honoured that my cats have chosen me as much as I them. I realise they have a choice of homes to go to when they go outside. I’m always happy when they choose to come back to mine!

I feel like cats share your space like fluffy flatmates. We have three cats. They’re all incredibly loving and affectionate…… but only when they feel like it.

I don’t know how many hours of my life I’ve wasted playing the cat’s favourite game “Has the cat escaped?”. If you don’t have cats, let me give a rough outline of how to play:

This game is usually performed in the early hours. Your partner is sound asleep in bed next to you. You wake up in a cold sweat as you realise you’ve only seen two cats that night! Where is the third? You spend the next roughly half an hour searching frantically. Your partner, now awake, joins your team. The game concludes once you find the cat (who is usually 5 feet from where you started – inside the wardrobe).

There are no winners in this game….it continues forever.

Our dog on the other hand, was like a shadow. A constant companion. You never had to wonder where she was because she was just always there.

She was a shaggy sidekick and we had so many adventures together. But, more than that, she taught me more than any human was capable of.

If you don’t mind indulging me for a while, I’d like to tell you about Princess.

We first met when she was a few weeks old and it was instant love. She wobbled over to me and sat on my foot and that was it. We had planned to get a male German Shepherd dog. We didn’t want to have to worry about potential pups. But you know what they say about plans….

She was a difficult puppy. My professional dog trainer friend advised me to “give her back”. He told me she would be impossible to train and she was a “big bag of problems”.

I’m glad I ignored that advice!

We first taught her to “touch” and it was like finding the key to a stubborn lock. When you gave this command and held out your palm, she would touch it with her nose.

She didn’t like dog treats but would get laser focused on a ball. I improved my throwing arm – and took her to empty fields in the early mornings! After a lot of hours and countless balls, she was fully trained in both verbal and hand signal commands.

We did everything to socialise her. We wanted a happy, confident dog. Despite our efforts, she was nervous with new people. In particular, she hated to be touched by strangers. She would react to their touch like it was a burn and try to hide from it.

When she was around 18 months old, we got 3 kittens.

She became our “nanny dog”. She would round them up and herd them together driven by the shepherd in her doggy DNA. It was not uncommon (but a little unsettling) to see her gently transporting a kitten by the scruff.

Overnight, she had to share everything! Her bed. Her garden. A lot of times, her food! I have photos of Princess standing with her paws wide apart. Three little kittens eating between them.

I was so proud of this young dog that had been such a handful in the early days. She was so patient and gentle. She treated them like puppies but the kittens didn’t mind. They all grew up together.

All three cats had different relationships with her.

Sweetpea is a sweetheart. She likes cuddles, treats and being spoken to in an Aussie accent (don’t ask!). But P was a little too boisterous so they didn’t play too much.

Tuppence (the current champ of the game described above) liked to carry out surprise attacks on the unsuspecting dog. These attacks would lead to a half-hearted chase. The dog didn’t really want to catch her! This particular cat has no boundaries. She isn’t afraid to fight dirty. We all know better than to trust her “Puss in Boots eyes” as she exposes her fluffy belly…

And finally we come to the cat pictured with Princess in this post. Tinkerbell. The one who has now left my side because I’m taking too long to type this!

Princess was her BFF. They did everything together from sleeping to chasing each other up the stairs at 5 in the morning!

They had total trust in each other. It was hard not to panic when the dog would open her mouth wide and the cat would stick her face inside! But Tinkerbell knew she was safe.

It was a revelation.

I’d been trying to “fix” Princess. I saw it as a failing that she flinched from a stranger’s hand. But then I put myself in her shoes (paws?) and realised I probably wouldn’t like strange hands patting my head as I’m going about my day.

In every other way she was the perfect dog. The main thing was she was happy and goofy so what if she was a little socially awkward. She loved her humans and her “Granny” and was great with the kittens.

So I learned to trust her as much as the cats did and we never looked back.

We had 11 years with her and I think she lived her best doggy life.

It’s been 3 years since she died and Tinkerbell still misses her sometimes I think. Something in the way she reacts when she hears a German Shepherd bark.

She sleeps on our bed now and I chase her around the house (on all fours!)….but I’m a poor substitute.

Some of my best memories are with Princess. She made me laugh every single day and we shared some truly amazing experiences together.

I remember the smell of her puppy paws and how it felt to cuddle her and it makes me smile.

What’s good about having a pet, for me at least, is the pure joy they bring to my life. And the memories they leave in your heart.

Citizen Jane x