Howard

A stray cat started hanging around recently. My mom is severely allergic to cats, so he can't stay. My husband is also allergic to animal hair. And on top of all of that, I can't handle the responsibility of pet ownership. We just don't want one. But look at this face:

This little kitty has brought out a sweet, nurturing side in Nathan. Nathan adores the cat and takes good care of it. He could spend all of his time outside playing with it and he would be in heaven. Ammon also loves the cat. Both boys rush outside everytime the cat is visible. It is very cold and snowy right now, but who cares when there is a cat to hold! They have made Howard a nice cardboard home....Howard liked it before the house was buried in snow.

Sarah does not like animals. She is TERRIFIED of almost all animals. She has been since she was a newborn. If the cat comes near her, she screams as if poor little Howard is a wild, ferocious, hungry, little-girl-eating lion. It's ridiculous, but sincere. Sarah doesn't want to be left out of the cat fun, so she stands at the window and shouts out directions to the boys. "Pick up the cat!" "He likes it when you pet him behind his ears!" Sarah doesn't want to be the only one left inside, so she has convinced Beth to also be afraid of cats. Beth has no opinion on the matter. She just plays with her stuffed animals and the cat together with the window in between.

Naming the cat has been quite an issue. I call him Howard because that is the name Nathan gave him first. Nathan loves him most, so we should just let it be. But not everyone agrees. The arguing over the name has been loud and passionate. We alternately call him Spots, Furry, Cheeto, or any of another number of cat names. Personally, I'm sticking with Howard. Not that he needs a name, because he's not our cat and we're not keeping him.