yes, that's the other stumbling block to home hunting. nobody wants to rent to people with a pet, and if they do let you, they want your right arm, left leg and a kidney too.

poor sparky. i've had her for seven years. i got her about a month after i left the ex, and for a couple of months it was just the two of us. i remember she was so tiny, and her ears looked too big for her head so she resembled a bat. she has seven toes on each of her front paws, and i believe she has a little russian blue in her mix.

she's grey with white markings, and is definitely an alpha female. the kids tease me about her being the favorite child, and to tell the truth at times she is. her eyes are green and she has high cheekbones. she's beautiful.

potty training her at first was quite an experience. she would pee in the littler box no problem, but i soon discovered little kitty turds behind the couch. finally, at three o'clock in the morning on a saturday night, i heard her scratching in the box and witnessed her first poop in the litter. i was so excited, i jumped up and down and squealed "oh my gosh! what a good kitty you are!!! yay!!"

i know, how pathetic is that on a saturday night? what can i say...at that point i was living in a run down apartment with no furniture and a minimum wage job. i had to take my triumphs where i could find them. she looked at me as if to say "you are one crazy bitch, yanno? i like that about you."

she used to sleep on my neck when she was a kitten, and the night before she gave birth to her one and only litter, she again slept on my neck. i could feel the little babies kicking inside her against my skin, feel her purring and i can't tell you what that felt like.

when she had her kittens the next day, she did it while i was at work. i was worried the whole time that something would go wrong, that she would try to do it alone. when i came home from work i noticed she looked a lot skinnier, and i asked her "did you have your babies?" and she meowed and ran over to the stairs, looking back at me and saying "well come on! i gotta show you what i did!"

so i followed her up the stairs, and she took me right to the closet where she had had her babies (five of them) so proud! so was i. i couldn't believe she had them all by herself. she was a good kitty mommy.

so when these potential landlords tell me no pets, what am i supposed to do? put her out on the curb? she is an intrinsic part of my life and i could no more give her up than give up one of my kids.

she's in a kennel right now, and i called out there today to see how she's doing and the lady was so nice. i cried, and the lady told me they take her out every day and pet her, brush her and clean her up. it's a dang kitty spa, and it's nice to know that she's a favorite over there. i took over an old nightshirt of mine the other day so she has something that smells like me, i figure she'll be running that place in another week.

i sure miss her.

no pets? no problem.

no tenant.

:)