by Carla Shaffer

Created on: October 04, 2009   Last Updated: October 05, 2009

I look up as I see the faint meow of one of my most faithful companions Mama kitty. The cat that has been with us since the day that she was born.Mama kitty has become a treasured member of our blended family, she was born in my youngest daughters closet eight years ago when my husband and I first stated dating, her big green eyes look at me with all of the warmth and love of trusted friend. At night she sleeps with me and keeps me warm as my husband is a truck driver and gone a lot.

I love knowing that I won't have to sleep alone and that I will have a nice warm body to curl up with. There are other reasons that I like knowing that my cat lives inside with me. As a responsible pet owner I know that she is not outside in danger of getting hit on the busy street that I live on. I also know that she is not going to get pregnant and give birth to kittens that may possibly end up as strays if their potential new owners get tired of them.

Most of all Mama kitty is a constant in my life. She has seen me and my family through some extremely rough times. The death of my sister and my parents were traumatic for the kids and me. When we were hurting the most Mama kitty would do her best to comfort us. As cats are ruled by their instincts she knew that we were hurt and upset and to comfort us the sound of her purr and the feel of her body rubbing against our legs helped us to feel better.

I am currently suffering from depression and my inside cat has helped through the these rough times too.She has offered her unconditional love and affection in times when I needed it the most. These are things that an outside cat could not offer as a trusted and loved member of the family. Outside cats are okay but they can never be considered a member of the family. The time that it takes to build that emotional that we share with our inside cat is hard to achieve with a cat that lives out of doors.The outside cat also doesn't desire the contact from their owners that the inside cat does.

The safety and well being of the cat that I own is a great responsibility. Mama kitty deserves my love,affection,care and protection from not only cars and humans but from diseases. I am a responsible cat owner and as such I keep Mama kitty vaccinated and healthy. Should cats live inside or out? Inside id the best and safest answer for any feline!

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