CATS cats CATS cats CATS cats CATS cats.........

My mother does nothing in moderation.
At some point in my elementary years, my mother discovered she had a great love for cats. It started slowly; both of my brothers and I got one cat each. One of them was a show cat and the seller introduced my mom to the "wonderful" world of cat shows. She loved it - the attention, the control, the praise from the other cat show "people" - and her collection of award winning cats grew. Usually our house had around 20 to 25, and being show cats, they were always indoors. I wore hand me down clothes from my older brothers, or clothes that my mother's co-workers had given her. But no expense was spared for these precious cats; show cats sell at an unbelievable high price ($1000.00 and up) and require a lot of care. The vet bills were through the roof. You also pay to go to the cat shows. This cost varies on how many cats you have in the show, where it is, and the price tag of the hotel that would allow 6-7 cats in each of the rooms. My mom always showed at least 4 at $35.00 a day (lowest I have seen) for two days. And not only were we expected to go with her to help her, she also "volunteered" us to work as a steward - cleaning out the cages that the cats had peed in while waiting to be judged.
She rarely could part with any of the precious cats she had bred so the numbers continued to climb sometimes up to 45, 50 or even more! At this point my dad would issue his ultimatum; that if she didn't get rid of some he would leave. She would sell a bunch and then breed some more. I can remember having to sit in the bathroom, not allowed to come out until I had seen the male cat "get" the female so she could be sure that it "took". How awful that is for a 7 year old!!! It's a wonder I ever had kids myself, knowing that much about reproduction at such a young age. Having a house full of cats with access to every corner (we were never allowed to shut our doors to our rooms - but that's another story) the male cats would spray our clothes. Our house ALWAYS smelled of cat pee, so you never realized until you got to school that a cat had peed on your clothes. Then you spent the rest of the day wishing you could disappear. Needless to say my entire school career from elementary to high school was awful. Kids don't understand or care that you have no control over what your parents do.
I suppose that is enough for now. I'm sure there will be tons of more Cat stories from me. If you are wondering; yes she still has cats. She just dropped from another high amount. She has spent all her money on kitty litter, cat food, vet bills, cat toys and who knows what. Now, unable to pay her bills, her house has been foreclosed and she must move in with her elderly parents. They have set a limit on the number of cats to 3 or 4. We will see how long that lasts.