Hot Tub Adventures

Jason and I didn't grow up with pets. We had fish, even fish we would give names to, but we never had a bird, dog or cat to call our own. Jason had wanted one more than I did, but I wouldn't have minded if we had gotten a pet of our own.

Like every child, we promised we would take care of it. Our parents thought they knew better. Mom always figured she would end up having to take care of it, and not wanting to do so, never allowed us to get a pet.

That didn't stop us from playing with animals though. In California, we found ourselves with a couple of strays that we would see consistently. One of them looked like a tiger, so we named it "Tiger." He was our friend.

I can still remember finding him sitting on the hot tub cover, or trying to pry open the screen door to the house. He would succesfuly make it inside, only for us to have to kick him out again.

One night, while in the hot tub, Tiger came to visit. He stayed around throughout my time in the hot tub, and Jason and I decided he must be hungry and need some food. For once, we actually convinced mom that it might be a good idea feed him. She rummaged throug the refrigerator looking for something to give it and decided that the left over ham and turkey that we likely wouldn't eat would be fine for the cat.

Tiger seemed pleased. Not a scrap was left. With a full belly, Tiger walked away for the evening. We imagined, now that we had fed him, it wouldn't be long before we saw him again.

Instead, we realized weeks later, that our old, nasty ham must have killed that cat. It went from having the cat to play with everyday, to no cat at all. The funniest part to me, is that it was when mom decided how to take care of the cat, is the same time the cat died.

Maybe, Jason and I would have been fine with the pet, and mom just knew that she, nurturing as possible to children, would kill a cat with one meal.