Seven years ago today, this little girl came into my life:

And my life has been enriched beyond measure because of her!  To be fair, at just six weeks old, she looked more like this when I picked her up from a middle-of-nowhere farm south of Grove City on September 12, 2007:

Although I make a sincere effort not to post pictures of my cat on Facebook (opting instead to text them to my brother who responds with pictures of his cat in return) those that know me well (ok, even those that know me not-so-well) know that I am obsessed with my baby.  There, I said it.  I am obsessed with my CAT.  Not my dog – my CAT.  Now I know many of you are probably shaking your heads, thinking, “Sarah, you’re a crazy cat lady!”.  A man I used to work with told me the reason I didn’t have a boyfriend was because I kept a photo of Susan as my computer background.  Well, you know what?  I choose her!

You see, Susan isn’t just a cat.  She’s MY cat.  And as anyone who knows her can confirm, she’s a pretty special one.  So on this seventh anniversary of our meeting, I thought I would share seven things about Susan that make her pretty darn special, not to mention awesome.  Enjoy!

1. She welcomes me home
   People say that cats don’t care whether their owners are home or away.  Well, I am here to prove you wrong.  Susan more than cares – she gets very excited when I come home!  Every time I turn the key to my apartment door, she wakes from her sleep (or is already clamoring at the door) and welcomes me by rolling around on the rug.  We have a routine:  I put my bags down, bend down to pick her up off the rug, and hold her like a baby in my arms while she stares into my eyes.  #don’tjudge.
   
   
2. She has quirks
   For example, despite having many toys, Susan loves these two balls the most.  She carries them in her mouth, meowing.  She even brings them into the bed with her.
   
   
3. She sleeps with me every night
   Every night when I turn out the light, Susan falls asleep at the foot of my bed.  She kisses my face every morning around 4:30, in an attempt to wake me up.  Sometimes this can get out of control, like when I leave her for 8 days while I’m in Spain and then leave her again for a night when I travel for work like I did this week. I throw her off the bed a few times in a fitful rage until she gets the picture, laying calmly next to me for the remainder of the night until my alarm goes off.  She even rests her head on the pillow.  What a baby.
   

   It’s 6:33 AM Mom….

4. She’s a lap cat
   As a Chait, I’ve been fortunate to have many wonderful cats in my life.  But Susan is the first cat (ok, besides our beloved New) who is truly a lap cat.  She loves being as close to me as possible – which makes doing work at home tricky at times!  If I’m watching TV, she’s watching with me – while lying on top of my chest.  She’s very affectionate, and what more can one ask for in a pet?
   
   
5. She loves water
   Another quirk of Susan’s is that she loves water.  Now, I’m not talking LOVES loves water, like being completely drenched. But she often sits on the ledge of the tub while I shower (I have a clear shower liner), and when I get out, immediately jumps in and licks up the leftover water droplets from the facet and bottom of the tub.  Weird?  Yes.  Awesome?  Yes.  One time, when I was taking a bath like in the photo below, she FELL IN.  I wasn’t allowed to touch her for hours as she cowered in the corner in shame.  As my cousin Emily eloquently put it, “Don’t you just love it when cats make mistakes?”.
   
6. She isn’t shy
   This is probably an understatement.  To be fair, Susan is actually kind of a bitch.  She does not get along with other cats, preferring to walk around hissing and growling under her breath, letting everyone know that she is in charge.  But she’s not the type of cat to hide under the bed (like my brother’s cat), instead hanging out in the middle of my living room during my annual Passover Sedar.  She has a soft spot for Ashley (we have that in common) – and if Ashley’s being honest, she’ll tell you she has a soft spot for Susan too 🙂
   
   
7. She’s soft and fat
   While I prefer my men on the trim side, I prefer my cats FAT – and in Susan’s case, also very soft.  Susan is constantly the brunt of fat cat jokes, and my “friends” tease her – and me – mercilessly.  The vet assured me that while she is indeed overweight, she is not obese and does not have diabetes (yet).  Despite my best efforts to get her to drop a few by limiting her food intake, her highly sedentary lifestyle (her idea of exercise is laying on the floor, swatting at a toy) keeps her a bit on the rotund side.  And you know what?  She’s perfect just the way she is 🙂  Not to mention her grey fur is the softest fur ever…just ask my Dad.

And that, folks, is just seven of the hundreds of reasons that Susan is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind cat, and why I’m a “crazy cat lady”.

Happy Anniversary, Susan!  I love you.