We remember it as if it were yesterday! A friend sent us a photograph of a scruffy, scraggly, skinny black kitten with ears too big for its small head. As a matter of fact, he kinda looked like a bat. My husband was allergic to cats and we knew we couldn't have one. Plus, we already had two rescued dogs, which took up a lot of room in our modestly sized apartment. I kept looking at the black kitten's photos. I kept throwing hints at my husband but the answer was always a firm, "NO!"
I kept checking on his progress through e-mails. My friend was worried that she wouldn't be able to find him a good home because some people have this unfounded superstition about black cats! How ridiculous!
At that point, I was determined to convince my husband that we should take in Mr. Scruffy. Even if it meant he'd have to go through an allergy regimen. I think eventually my husband grew tired of my reminders and pleadings and he finally gave in. He said, "FINE, you can have the darn cat, but I'm not changing any litter!" We picked up Mr. Scruffy. The moment my husband saw him, it was love at first sight. He went to the doctor, got a prescription for allergy pills, and that was that. Milo, as we renamed him, became an important member of our family. He grew into a wondrous, regal, appreciative, huge cat with a certain knowledge that we had done something grand for him, so he was going to pay it forward.
Milo is going on three years young. We can't imagine our lives without Milo! And my husband has been changing his litter for three years! Ha!
New York, NY
