Cats are a smart pet choice for single parents. They are low maintenance, excellent company, and, as I will prove with photo evidence, so very helpful. A cat will make a house a home and bring hours of joy and entertainment to its adult and child inhabitants.
Typical cat care: When there is just one of you (read: you don’t have an adult partner in house), a healthy cat requires very little day to day. Two scoops of dry food, fresh water, a clean litter box, and some love are a kitty’s only needs.
Baddie care: Baddie ate only dry food until her grandma got a free sample of wet from the grocery store. Baddie’s addiction was born instantly. It was the free chicken dinner that wasn’t really free. Just like Baddie was the free kitten who so wasn’t.
My Baddie’s water dish is a fancy, granite work of museum quality art. If not for this classy set up, she wouldn’t hesitate to spill her water all over the floor….daily.
Baddie’s “litter system” is state of the art and a bit more expensive than more traditional boxes. It was necessary and so, so worth it, though, because of her sandcastle making gift. Her hobby required her to relocate all of the litter from box to bathroom floor. She was quite devoted to her craft. I apologize for suppressing her creativity, and I know how selfish this sounds, but a pellet system works better for me…
Typical cat company: They go where they please and sit where they want. They only go outside if you want them to. It’s safer to keep your cat indoors if you can. Sometimes you get one that demands attention and your lap. Maybe you end up with more of a regal, aloof creature. Whatever personality, that fur ball becomes a presence in your house. Kids are with your ex? You’re not alone when you you’re lucky enough to share your home with love on paws.
Baddie as a companion: She needs to go out every day for many hours or goes out of her mind, as in swinging from the curtains berserk. While not a lap cat, she very frequently sleeps on my head, virtually eliminating me from the list of top ten North Jersey Bachelorettes. She loves nothing more than snoozing pressed up against me under a blanket. But if you poke at that blanket, you will lose a digit.
The typical, helpful cat: will stay out of your way. They have their own agenda, which might include ridding your house of rodent pests.
Baddie as helpful: She couldn’t catch the one mouse that infiltrated her Grandma and Grandpa’s house. BUT Baddie makes up for not having the hunting skills she was supposed to inherit in so many ways… She embraces housework, sticking by my side and lending a paw throughout the day. I often insist that she takes a break when I’m mopping the floors or cooking. “You’ve done quite enough, Baddie”, I tell her. What can I say? She has an admirable work ethic!
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