Cat Appreciation Day

Yes, yesterday was Cat Appreciation Day at our house. Oh, it's not on your calendar? Well it was on ours and some of us celebrated. In style.

Let me give you a little background information. My #2 son, Will, is an intelligent, creative boy. He has a fantastic imagination. He has many great skills and abilities. I feel he is gifted in administration and leadership because of how well he bosses his two younger siblings around. Did I say boss? I meant lead. LEAD!

Will has done a splendid job this school break of coming up with creative things for the 3 of them to do together, featuring Will as the leader/dictator/president..... like playing army(he was the general) and they all carried wooden swords and cheap plastic guns taped together with black electrical tape. Luke and Abby go along with the plan for about 24 minutes then they get tired of being ordered around and come in telling me how much they hate Will and can we vote him off or send him to another family. This lasts for about 24 more minutes then Will has sweet-talked them back into another game of "The British are coming! The British are coming!"Or something like that.

Two days ago they created a "club". I remember doing that as a kid. Except we never had a good clubhouse. My kids however are blessed with two (really gross and dusty) outside storage rooms to choose from for their clubhouse. The one with the hole in the roof has become their home-away-from-home. (This is also where our cats hide from our dogs because it has a metal security door that the cats can squeeze through but the dogs can't.)

Anyway, Will, Luke and Abby made it their clubhouse. On Tuesday they sat inside, around a cardboard box and played cards and made plans for the week. They obviously elected officers because at lunch yesterday I heard Abby ask Luke, "Now, if I quit the club does that mean you get to move up to vice-president?" Yes, he replied. Ok, she said and nodded her head, staring at the floor. Obviously the thought of quitting was heavy on her mind.

And that's how Cat Appreciation Day was born. Being cooped up in a dusty room full of cardboard boxes and two wild cats was all the inspiration they needed. After their brainstorming session, Will came in the house and wrote this on the big family calendar for July 19: cat app. day.

So yesterday a.m. the festivities began. First we opened a can of tuna for the cat's breakfast.....a delicacy in their diet which normally consists of cheap, dry, cat food. Then they sat around the cardboard box and passed the cats around and each club member gave a speech. I didn't hear them, but I was told the speeches were about how much they appreciated the cats. Go figure. And Abby dressed Rufus (the orange cat) in a onesie from one of her dolls. Then they sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow!"....I heard that part.

It was a fantastic day. The cats feel so appreciated now.

I need to go call the Hallmark people so next year on July 19 we won't miss Cat Appreciation Day. Cara Beth, aren't you pleased this day falls on your birthday?

And just so you aren't worried about the dogs, Will tells me that their special day is next month.

Club Members