Cats and ice cream and the 4th of July

Ray

July 4th is the day we celebrated Roy and Ray's birthdays. Way back in 1991, Roy and Ray wandered up to our house. We weren't their first choice. We lived in an apartment complex in Dallas and the two brothers had knocked on several other doors before winding up with us. They'd earned nicknames around the community like Scratch 'n Sniff.

Scott was the one who insisted on adopting them. I wasn't big on cats at the time, but let Scott wear me down enough to welcome them. We named them after ourselves, Roy being Scott's middle name and mine, Raelynn.

Roy

We knew nothing about caring for cats. Much like our fellow average Americans, we believed vaccines were not only good for our pets, but would protect them against disease and keep them from harm's way. We were told to feed them Friskee's, so we followed suit. For years, Roy and Ray lived on Friskee's wet cat food.

Of course, I know better now, but back then, I believed everything the vet told us. What blows my mind is they're still telling people the same thing and getting away with it, getting away with murder. Ray developed a disease which caused crystalization in his urinary tract. Roy develped chronic renal failure. Had I known then what I know now, I'd feed raw and they'd never have been vaccinated. Certainly, not as many times as they were given toxic and deadly vaccinations. When I look back at their records, I feel somewhat like Shelley Duvall in 'The Shining' when she read Jack Nicholson's manuscript and realized her husband had gone nuts.

Ray

Catster sent a reminder this morning in memory of Roy and Ray's birthday. I recalled giving them ice cream one year to celebrate. Not a good idea. This was long before pet companies came up with safe ice cream for animals. Today, I give the cats some healthy organic yogurt.

Happy birthday, Roy and Ray. We miss you today. Thank you for introducing me to the world of cats. Like the man so wisely said, 'there are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.'