Barkley and Me: The War Rages On

My whole life I loved kitties. I just wanted to cuddle and smush their little face. However my step-dad did not like cats at all. So as I child, I was never really around many of them.

In 1992 I moved to my dad's house in Florida. For a while it was just him and I in a big huge house. So when I was offered a cat, I jumped on it. Being the bad teenager I was at the time, I brougt the new kitty home without my dear ole' dad's permission.  He still loves to tell the story of how he woke to go to work and opens his bedroom door and hears a little meow. I do not know if I can describe the anger in his eyes and he has never let me live it down.

I named the cat Diana, she was precious. However it became clear she loved my dad and not me. I was an annoyance who changed her litter box. So when I moved out later, I did not take her with me. Once again, something that irritated my dad. In fact for years every time I talked to him he wanted to know when I was going to pick up my cat. I truly believe he would never let me. He did however offer to give her to me as a wedding present but atlas I got a toaster instead. When she passed, my poor dad was devasted.

When I met my husband he had a black lab. She loved me at first until I started sleeping on her side of the bed. Then she would just chew up my socks when I slept. Nesta and I had a rocky relationship in the beginning. I think were both trying to claim the alpha role in the house. Atlas I won and she became my special friend.  We had her for 11 years and I adored her deeply.

When we lost her, I could not bare another dog. She was too special. My best friend Chelsea offered to bring me a kitten. Considering my general history with cats, she promised to bring me the sweetest cat she could find.

So in June 2009, she brought the cutest black kitten ever born. I named him Backley, my husband insisted a boy cat would love me. I am not listening to him again.

This little thing just looked at me. He was cutest kitty I had ever seen. I genuely do not think he looked at me like I was the custest human he ever had seen. Moreover I think he thought I was a giant two year old wanting to cuddle with him.

Tell me that is not one of the cutest faces ever.

For the first year I pretty much annoyed him.  In that year my husband also came up with a European voice for him and a facebook page. He kinda took on a Stewie persona in the house. Always threatening through my husband. One day I sat Joe down and told him that he was not channeling the cat and he was from Alachua and not Europe.

 He became quite famous among family and friends. Everyone would ask me about my little friend.

Then I startd verbally arguing with him(my husband voice) about things as it it was real. I really think Barkely believes I am nuts.

As he got older he started to do things, I think to make me think I was scrazy.

One day I was sitting in the living room, I heard a big crash. No one was home, so it was not my kids. Then I ran into kitchen as my little man ran out.  On the kitchen counter the was a glass of water tipped over and the counter was soaked in water.

I walked into the hall, the cat is sitting, licking his paw, and looked up at me as if to say, "What happened mom?" I put my hands on my hips and walked away. I thought I heard  little laughter.

He geneally seems annoyed that we did not buy a sixth table chair for him. He takes his seat at dinner every night until one of us kicks him off. In fact on night we were having steak, he jumped up on the table and stole Logan steak while we talking about how cute he was on the table. He tried to eat the whole dang thing.

One morning he decided it was play time, he ran back and forth through the house for an hour. Of course I was the only one he woke up, after throwing several things in his general direction he just would not stop. I gave up, and went into the living room to find him sleeping. That morning every time I walked by him I woke him up on purpose. He looked at me like I was the jerk.

This year I dressed as him for Halloween and we took pics together. I cannot tell you how annoyed he was that I was forcing him to take pictures. He generally only wants me to pick him up if I have milk or ham for him.

He is also notorius for peeing in boxes. You cannot leave on the floor for more than a minute.

The cat is a constant pain, but I love his little face. I have many more stories. I thought it would be good to lay the foundation of our relationship. Sometimes I swear he thinks his job is to push me into a mommy meltdown.