Confessions of a Cat Junkie

The two brother cats, formerly known as “Fluffy” and “Mousecatcher 2000,” are now named Mack and Mo. We brought them home in early February. They had been residing in one of the exam rooms at our veterinarian’s practice, relocated from a horse ranch in the Los Angeles area (before the fires). They were the last two of the litter, and with no space available at no-kill shelters, the pair were driven up to Bend in search of a forever home.

Though being in a somewhat cramped space, they’d had plenty of love and human contact with the vet staff so they were well socialized. They’re still learning their new names but have settled in nicely, bringing new love, joy, amusement and havoc into our lives. They’re also learning which surfaces they can jump up on, and which ones are off limits.

Growing up in our respective families, my wife, Floy, and I were both raised with dogs. As we grew into adulthood, we evolved into cat people. Our two previous cats, Gallup and Hicoo, lived to the ages of 21 and 20, respectively. Afterward, we took a cat break, during which it was always kind of sad to return home and have no one there waiting to greet us. We knew we wanted cats again; we just weren’t sure when. But the time was nigh and things fell into place perfectly — we are happily cat people once again.

All along, we knew we wanted two cats who were bonded. Gallup and Hicoo got along OK, and before them, our two rez cats from Navajoland tolerated each other but never shared that blood bond. Mack and Mo are a different story. They wrestle like crazy, play together, sleep together, groom one another and chase each other through the house like charging buffalo. (They are large cats for their young age.) It’s a pleasure to witness how much they love each other.

As Floy has pointed out to me in the past, we humans tend to anthropomorphize our four-legged companions. In that respect, it seems to me that these two furry brothers feel grateful to have a new fur-ever home. Floy can’t sit on the living room couch without Mack putting down stakes on her lap. Mo will chase around a felt catnip mouse as if it’s alive and will even fetch and return it when thrown. They both love to have their bellies rubbed. Until they don’t.

Dog or cat, our furry pals bring joy and companionship into our homes. Floy and I feel fortunate to now have Mack and Mo in our lives. And they seem genuinely happy to see us every time we return home from being out. We’ve rediscovered the creature comfort of not coming home to an empty house.

This article appears in Central Oregon Pets Spring 2025.