Ode to the Alpha Female

In life their are cat people and their are dog people and then their are the rest of us.  I do not consider myself either a cat or dog person, I may prefer one over the other, but in fact I only love one cat and not cats in general.  If you have ever visited my house you have met my cat, Penny.  Penny Patch Nicole Severy to be exact. 

When I was a little girl I begged my mother for a cat, and while we were living in VA my mother granted my wish. I received an orange little kitten whom I named Patch. Patch was a nice cat, but now looking back on it I realize that Patch mostly put up with my five year old personality and would rather have not been slept with, or picked up.  When we moved to Maine I was forced to find my kitty another home (very devastating for a little girl).  

Fortunately we had not lived in Maine long when my mother brought home the smallest kitten I had ever seen. She was working at a diner and they had found the starving kitten out back on the steps. Now it is true that my mother is not an animal person, but she is also compassionate. So she brought the cat home with the words of "If you can keep it alive, you can have it".  So I kept it alive for 17 long years. In that time Penny quickly grew from the most pitiful creature to an elegant tri-colored alpha female cat.  She ruled our house.  Any animal that visited, or moved in quickly learned that Penny was in charge. I have scars from protecting even the largest dogs from this cat.  She had this attitude that showed that she was the boss and she knew it.  

Just like my grandmother Penny had a "look" that she gave to you when you were being annoying

I was given the privilege of feeding, and caring for her from the time she was young and in return I received unconditional love. Penny knew when I needed her love, and she loved me through my absent time while at College, when I kicked her out of the bed, when I got married, and through each of the births of my children.  Just last week Penny welcomed Caleb as she did each of the boys: she laid in my lap while I was nursing and put her head on his belly.  It is true that she didn't really like a lot of people, but if I loved someone then she loved them too.  A more wonderful cat could not be found and I am truly thankful that I was given this 6 pound ball of fur.  

I will never find another cat like Penny and I never plan to look. Penny died yesterday afternoon while enjoying a snooze on the deck in the sun she was 17.5 years old.  I just thought that you might like to know why, although I am not an animal person, I love one cat.