How I Learned to Speak Cat
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring, Cat
By Susan C. Willett

As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the humankind.
~Cleveland Amory

When I was growing up, we had a dog — and a rabbit, guinea pig, three white mice, and numerous short-lived goldfish — but no cats. Then, as an adult, my first husband’s severe allergies meant we needed a feline-free home. My dogs at the time agreed, as they always barked at neighborhood cats or treed any trespassers who managed to venture on our property.

But a new husband, a blended family, and several dogs later, the time seemed right to add cats to our household. To prepare for our new additions, I bought enough books to start my own library and explored every corner of the Web to learn as much as I could about cats and their care. Soon, we welcomed into our family two domestic shorthair kittens from a local rescue organization: Athena, a gray tortie, and her sister Dawn, a similarly colored tortie/tabby combination. (Keep reading)