This is one of those stories I've held back from sharing. It might upset the more delicate natured people, and the first part of this sentence is their warning.
I figure now is as good a time as any to share the story because we will soon put it to rest. Pun intended!
Clint and I like to have fun with our children. There are lots of shenanigans in our home that keep us all laughing. Everyone has a good sense of humor and very, very rarely is anyone upset or offended. We're an easy going, fun loving bunch! Because of that, we have a lot of leeway in our home.
One of the things we had done with our gang over the years was to leave an object with "SHMILY" (See How Much I Love You) written on it where they would find it. At first, we used paper hearts, smooth stones, and fairly innocuous (boring) items. Amanda saw a rubber rat and a rubber spider in a store and asked me to buy them for SHMILY. That changed the game forever. Those things brought a laugh and a reminder of our love. Good deal!
Clint and I were in a thrift store looking for some camping items. We came across a taxidermied cat and dog. We took in the creepy factor and kept going. When were in line at the checkout, I started laughing. "Let's get the cat and do SHMILY with it." Clint laughed. We bought the cat. The cashier overheard and told us she wanted to be one of our children because our family was having "too much fun."
The first thing we did was tell our children via text we were bringing them home a pet. We told them they could name it. They immediately thought something was up. That might be because we have surprised them with a living tarantula and rat before. We told them it was a cat. And, we were not sure how much they'd like it because it seemed really sleepy and was not moving much at all.
We put it in a box with some holes punched in it and gave it to them that way.
They took it out and laughed and laughed! We talked about how special the cat must have been to someone for them to go to the expense of having it taxidermied. I told the children the person, probably deceased, would most likely enjoy hearing the cat was bringing joy into our lives.
We had a homeschool lesson on taxidermy and tanning hides because of that stuffed cat. I meant to take the cat, write SHMILY on it, and start the hiding. Then Clint and I figured we'd donate it to the thrift store so they could sell it again. However, busy motherhood resumed, and it slipped my mind.
I think a month went by before I remembered the cat again. It was one of those moment where you are just sitting there and then your eyes get really big and you feel dread in your stomach. What happened to that cat?! I looked and looked for it. I did not find it. I started asking my family about it. No one knew anything.
Then, I got to Bethany.
Then, I got to Bethany.
Our sweet little Boo sheepishly grinned and told me she liked the cat and had taken it to her bedroom. She asked me if she could keep it and told me she'd take good care of it. "It's not like it needs food or a litter box. It won't cost you anything, and it won't be any trouble. Please?" (That was the stage where she was still considering being a lawyer.)
Hooo-boy! That didn't go like we thought it would!
She kept the cat sitting on her desk for years. I'd cringe and imagine other parents saying, "Those horrid Asbells let their children play with dead animals!" Except, her friends thought it was cool.
Then, Amanda gave her Grey.
Then, Amanda gave her Grey.
Grey didn't like the "not living anymore" cat at all. So, Bethany parted with it. In its place, we got a PITB cat who did need food and a litter box. Clint and I did not learn of Bethany parting with the stuffed cat for a while. When we did, we thought our chance to part ways with the "quiet cat" had arrived.
Only...
Bethany had already given it to Emily. Yeah. We were still stuck with the cat.
Emily got tired of it a year ago. Like Bethany did to her, she passed it to Hannah.
Hannah, that blonde haired, blue eyed stinker, let us know with a mischievous smile that she would always tell the story of "the very first pet my parents let me have." Have mercy! LOL! That cat is the gift that keeps on giving!
It's been about a year. Hannah named it Topaz. It sat on her desk. Hannah drew it a few times. She told us she pet it. "You PET the dead cat?" I asked. "It's no worse that what you did to Caleb that time, Mom." she replied. The family laughed. I shut up.
Recently, Hannah saw the kitty had a tear in its fur. Her tender 11 year old heart was upset because she thought she had caused it. I reassured her it wasn't her fault. "That kitty is much older than you are. I am sure her first owner would be so proud of you for how well you have cared for it." She said she was ready to let it go. She put it on the table for Clint and I to decide what we will do with it.
Joshua came home from work and asked me why it was on the table. I explained and told him Dad and I were going to bury it. "Oh no!" he exclaimed loudly. "You can't just bury a cat like that! That cat was special to someone AND became special to us. We will talk about this cat for the REST of our lives! It's a HILARIOUS story! We HAVE to have something like a Viking burial at sea or something big like that. Let's finish the story in a BIG WAY!"
So, here I am typing this story with a taxidermied cat Hannah named Topaz on the table in front of me. I smile thinking how endeared it must have been to the original owner's heart and hope they would approve of us having it. I sure hope they wouldn't judge us as disrespectful.
Clint and I thought it would be a short term guest in our house, but it became interwoven with the story of our lives. I am thankful for the smiles, the many laughs, and fun memories it has given our family.
Joshua is right. We should finish this story with something memorable.
