Should Cats Have Web Pages?

I've given this a lot of thought lately, as I see more and more cats (and dogs and horses) with their own facebook pages. What sort of animal would qualify for such an honor? I decided to tell you about my own cat and let you decide.

We've always shared our home with at least one cat. And in all the years, and with all the cats who've come and gone, this one is very special for one simple reason: she is the perfect house cat.

James is a huge American Shorthair. And contrary to what you might think, James is a girl. She started out as Jamie, because when she first started hanging around the farmhouse, my favorite singer was Jamie O'Neil. Both had the same gorgeous blond hair, so it seemed to fit. Before long we were calling her James for short, and it suits her.
















James is a rather large presence in our lives, but she doesn't have any particular skills. She sleeps quite well, but not on my lap... ever. She runs for the bedroom whenever anyone walks in that general direction, and hops up on the bed hoping for a tummy rub (this gets her locked in the bedroom on a regular basis).

James has her own basket of soft toys, and will help herself when she wants to play. A small ball with long feathers is one of her favorites; I step on it quite often because although James can fetch her own toys, she is incapable of putting them back in the basket. (I don't know of any cats who are, so this should not be held against her.)

Although James won't sit on my lap, she does beg to sit on the arm of my favorite chair, where she leans her entire weight against me, looks up at me with her eyes half open, and purrs loudly enough to be heard in the next room. She can stay there for hours, or until my arm goes to sleep. James is not what you'd call an athletic cat. Jumping up on the furniture is a challenge, so I bought a footstool that she can step up onto. She'll sit there until she's invited to curl up on the chair. Impeccible manners.

Unlike most cats who scream and howl at the mere sight of a car, James loves to ride in the car. As soon as we're on the road, I let her out of her crate, and she'll sit on my lap and look out the window. I'm not sure what she sees out there, but it keeps her occupied.

James has never killed a mouse or a Christmas tree ornament. She doesn't scratch furniture or rugs... or me. She doesn't walk across the computer keyboard while I'm working, or bite me when I'm not paying enough attention to her. She eats and sleeps just like all the other cats in the world. But it's how she does what she does that makes her unique.