A lifelong dog person, I can remember my wife's words when I announced that I wanted to make Miles, 'My cat.' "You'll never make him 'your cat'. I'm the one he first saw when he first opened his eyes, and I'm the one who feeds him. I'm 'Mom', and he'll always be my cat."

Yet as I watched Miles, in his Sphinx like stance, watch every move I made, there was no doubt in my mind, she was wrong. While our other two cats meandered about waiting for my wife, Miles watched attentively, waiting for me to open my book, the signal indicating that I was finally settled in. Moving quickly and boldly up the outside of the bed, as if to tell the others: "Stay back, this guy is all mine!" He quickly settled into the valley created by my raised chest and knees and awaited the adoration he knew would come.

Miles never makes eye contact, he never has, but he can't hide the smile that quickly develops as I methodically stroke the full length of his body, and slowly but surely, a slow, steady purr begins to develop.

If asked to describe me, 'Cat Person' would be one of the last descriptive terms those that have known me most of my life would use. While my mother was a cat-person in her youth --and still is -- my father's career as a naval officer, and the many moves that it brought, was much more suited to dogs.

From my earliest of recollections, dogs were the sole animals in my life. It was Chris, a collie mix, not my mother, who cleaned my face after every meal while I was still crawling. Panda, a classic pound mutt, was my constant companion from the time I was first allowed outside by myself. Lad, an oversized Sheltie, was our third dog and, like the first two, I saw him gently placed into his grave after a long and happy life.

While bachelorhood brought an end to my long line of 'family' dogs, it ushered in the period of 'my' dogs. For sixteen long years, PJ, my trusty Jack Russell, was always at my side. Though cats came with the marriage deal, PJ jealously guarded any approach to my person by my wife's cats.

Unlike dogs, cats prefer to pick the time to be sociable. The older the cat, the truer this fact seems to be, which explains why my wife's fully grown cats were often never to be found when I was in the house. Of course, the fact that PJ chased them didn't help much, but such is life.

My first real taste of what life as a cat person was like came after the adoption of Jordie, a juvenile coal-black Persian-something Manx. Unlike the two older cats that would stare dumbfounded as I tried to get them to play with one of the many cat toys my wife had collected over the years, Jordie relished the attention. He would spend hours leaping mightily into the air in fruitless attempts to snag the prey dangling at the end of a stick and string.

Immensely curious, nothing was safe from Jordie's prying paws. When you sat down, he was in your lap. Headed to the bathroom? He was ready for your undivided attention. He had no problem banging on the door when he wanted out, and if you were headed out, you could bet money on it he was ready to come in. For Jordie, humans were God's number one gift to 'catdom.' The fact that he had two people paying attention to him made it only better

In spite of my best efforts, however, I was still a neophyte when it came to being a cat person. Being home all day, not to mention being in charge of daily feeding, gave my wife an insurmountable edge when it came to Jordie's attention. While he liked me, he adored my wife, and there was nothing I could do to ever change that equation.

I soon resigned myself to the reality that the closest thing to a cat I could call my own would be our barn cat, Tasha. At least she would acknowledge me, although it was usually in the form of a hiss.

Then, one late spring day, a local farmer dropped by and handed me a burlap bag, at the bottom of which cowered two immature Manx kittens. Unable to part with them once they were in her hands, my wife spent the next month bottle-feeding them. As I watched my wife fuss over her new charges, I realized just how far I had yet to go in my journey to become a cat person.

Of course, my wife's doting had its intended consequences, and soon both kittens were as attached to my wife as a fly to flypaper. Miles and Squeak are small cats as cats come. Tigers, their Manx breeding gives them a slight downhill build, which might account for their great speed during their frequent 'tears' about the house.

Living close to the road, my wife chose to make the pair indoor cats. I felt sorry for the pair as they sat and watched the other three cats let out every morning, but they quickly developed there own unique indoor routines, and soon, going outside was the last thing on their mind.

Intrigued by birds, Miles spends hours defending a window-mounted bird feeder. Hidden by a mirror, Miles sits for hours, waiting for a bird to come within his imaginary reach. A quick thump to the glass sends everyone flying, and Miles, with an air of having completed a task well done, hops down for a quick bite, before the birds forget what had scared them and return to the feeder again. I'm not sure who is worse, Miles, who spend hours waiting for the perfect time to thump the glass, or me, who spends hours waiting to see him thump the glass.

Unbeknownst to me, demographics were on my side in making Miles, 'My cat'. A lap, no matter how cat friendly, can only take so many cats. Top priority on my wife's lap went always to the two original cats. Jordie, being the 'baby', had been adopted by the older two, and always had 'his' spot. 'Squeak', being female, offered no competition to the two other males, and always was welcomed. For Miles however, getting onto my wife's lap was a struggle at best.

As the youngest of three males, he was the lowest on the pecking order; as such, his options were limited at best. He could bide his time and wait for an opening or brave my Jack Russell and occupy my wide-open lap. Fortunately for Miles, PJ had long ago realized that chasing cats was more effort then it was worth, and, in his advanced age, could only manage a grunt of disgust at the sight of Miles headed in our direction.

I soon found myself mixing my attention between PJ and Miles. Hours of petting would pass as I sat and studied. When one had had enough, the other would gladly move into its place. Soon PJ, once the poster child for cat-hating Jack Russell's, and Miles, were fast friends. Outside, PJ was the sole focus of my animal affection. Once inside, however, PJ was only too happy to surrender my affection to Miles, and troop off to his bed for a long evening of undisturbed rest.

With no one to compete with, Miles quickly learned my routines, and, without skipping a beat, always took advantage of every opportunity afforded him. I like-wise, took every opportunity to encourage him. During meals I would feed him from my plate, much to the frustration of my wife. When his cries for affection from my wife went unanswered, I would reach out and scratch him.

Soon, as if on cue, he began to appear out of nowhere when I opened a book, and would quickly settle in by my side. At night, while the other cats engaged in their evening struggle for a spot next to my wife, Miles settled in alone, next to my chest. While the other cats 'disappear' when my wife goes away on business trips, Miles is ever-present. He follows every step I take from the time I walk into the house to the time I leave it.

Over the years I've heard lots of opinions for the best sound to listen to as one falls asleep. Some thinks it's the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Others, the sound of a babbling brook. But for my money, nothing beats the sound of a purring cat, happily sleeping next to 'its' person. While to purest 'cat people', I'll never be one. To Miles, I'm as good as it gets.

Miles passed away April 27, 2008 after a year long battle with cancer.  No matter how bad he felt, he still managed to summon up a good purr whenever someone picked him up. 

Two weeks ago he began to lose his battle.  On Thursday, his last trip to the vets, we we're told the end was near. 

On Saturday Miles got to do everything he always loved to do.  Sleep in the sunshine, nap with my wife, eat chicken, sit on the counter while dinner was made, sit between us as we watch TV, and fall asleep on my wife's pillow as we turned in for the night.

While I always called him 'my cat' he never really ones. He died peacefully on the pillow of the person he loved most.

Pastor Wade Martin: Do Pets Go to Heaven
 

• I will not bathe my dog after he bathes himself in the mud puddle.
• I will not push my dog away when she wants a hug after playing in a mud puddle.
• I will not complain "My arm is tired" after only throwing the ball 20 times.
• I will not confuse my dog by throwing snowballs for him to fetch.
• I will not ask my dog to play fetch with a boomerang.
• I will not drag my dog away from the interesting sniffing spots.
• I will drop whatever I'm doing and take my dog out as soon as he asks me to.
• I will not tell my dog to hurry up already when he's looking for just the right spot to take care of business.
• I will not stare while my dog is doing his business.
• I will not feed the cat before I feed my dog.
• I will get rid of that cat.
• I will not bring home any more cats.
• I will never eat until my dog has tasted what I have and approved it for me.
• I will share everything I eat with my dog.
• I will set up the kiddie pool every day it's hot - even in December.
• I will not leave my dog at home any time I go in the car.
• I will allow my dog on the couch.
• I will protect my dog from that obnoxious little human thing at all times.
• I will not have another of those obnoxious little human things.
• I will not hide my dog's ball in a place where I know he couldn't possibly retrieve it from and then ask him to go get it.
• I will not take shredded, soggy, yummy tennis balls away from my dog.
• I will not sneak around the backyard wearing funny clothes to test whether my dog is a good watchdog.
• I will stop referring to my dog's necklace as her "collar."
• I will not cut my dog's nails.
• I will not abandon my dog for trivial reasons like "going to work".
• I will not wake my dog when I come home from work.
• I will not come home from work and feel the sofa to see if it is still warm from where my dog was sleeping "illegally".
• Bad weather is no excuse for not walking my dog.
• I will open the back door as soon as my dog sits by it.
• I will not laugh at my dog for being confused over not being able to find the lump of ice that he buried earlier.
• I will not run out of treats.
• I will always carry cookies and treats.
• I will not make my dog wear silly-looking antlers or red hats.
• I will not make my dog pose for pictures with some fat stranger in a red suit.
• I will not tie leftover ribbons and bows all over my dog.
• I will not use decorations like tinsel that could be dangerous to my dog.
• I will try much harder to understand my dog's language.

As he was getting home, the cat was walking up the driveway.

The next day he decided to drive the cat 40 blocks away. He put the beast out and headed home.

Driving back up his driveway, there was the cat!

He kept taking the cat further and further and the cat would always beat him home. At last he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, then right again and another right until he reached what he thought was a safe distance from his home and left the cat there.

Hours later the man calls home to his wife:

"Jen, is the cat there?"

"Yes," the wife answers, "why do you ask?"

• The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. - Anonymous
• Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. - Ann Landers
• If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers
• There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. - Ben Williams
• A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. - Josh Billings
• The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. - Andy Rooney
• We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. - M. Acklam
• Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate. -  Sigmund Freud
• I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. - Rita Rudner
• If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. - James Thurber
• If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. - Unknown
• My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money. - Joe Weinstein
• Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - -  chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! - Anne Tyler
• Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. - Robert A. Heinlein
• If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. - Mark Twain
• You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!' -  Dave Barry
• Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras
• If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them. - Phil Pastoret

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note that placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not mean it becomes your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm and disrespect.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or stick your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. I have been using the bathroom for years--canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Always Complain About Our Pets

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture )
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, and does not speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they: eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.