Tilley

Tilley is a pretty little girl with a wonderful soft, silvery coat. In good weather, she can often be found on or near the table outside the tearoom, catching a bit of early evening sun as it streams through the passage from the front yard.

I didn't actually know Tilley's background until I read Barbara's blogathon entry on her. Check out that post, but in brief: Tilley's owner or owners just didn't want her anymore after she'd had kittens. And this isn't even the only instance of this kind of thing happening. Apparently, some people will choose kitten over mom.

I find this baffling in general, and perhaps even more so in Tilley's case because the people who surrendered her couldn't even have made a plausible attempt at the cat-aren't-as-cute-as-kittens logic that other kitten aficionados may try to pull since Tilley is so obviously one cute as heck kitty. Giving birth has in no way robbed her of her girlish good looks or generally high cuteness factor.

It is a widely known fact that kittens grow into cats. It's odd that this is not always taken into consideration.

A reminder: (stats from www.wisegeek.com)

LIFE EXPECTANCY OF PETS

• domestic cat = 12-18 years
• dog = 12.8 years
• rabbit = 5-15 years
• budgie = 10-15 years
• goldfish = 5-10 years
  
• hamster = 3 years
• mouse = 3-5 years
• rat = 2-3 years
• cockatoo = up to 70
  

Needless to say, those who fear they may have commitment issues should avoid signing up for a cockatoo. As for the cats, the single digit number of months they'll look kittenish leaves a lot of years of adult cat.

But- cute cat, fun cat! Don't believe me? Ask Tilley.

And if you hear of anyone who wants to test drive a pet with only the most minimal time and zero emotional commitment, just tell them two words:
sea monkeys.