Have you loved a cat more than a person?

I have loved one cat and one woman in the same way. Another woman, I love in a slightly different way: a version of father/daughter. That is the sum total of the recipients of my love. I know this is personal, but isn’t it important to discuss it? Isn’t it entirely normal and natural? We shouldn’t shy away from these experiences and emotions because they are so much more meaningful than most of the other cat information on the internet. In any event, for me, this is historical. In computer terms, the events are in the archives.

These experiences are the real bits of our lives. So much of it is superficial.  Anyway, I want to briefly write about Missie again and the woman I loved.

Have you loved a cat more than a person? Or the other way around? This is a tricky question.

For me, my love for Missie is equal to my love for Susan. It is a different kind of love. My love for my cat, who died almost 20 years ago, is the love of a father for the daughter he never had, and that is not anthropomorphizing my cat. I loved her as a cat companion. My love for Susan, a past girlfriend, is just pure human to human love.

I have not seen Susan for 40 years. I don’t have a photograph of her anymore. Susan, if you are out there, please leave a comment. You won’t. You might not be alive. If the rainbow bridge exists I hope I can meet my cat again.

I am very pragmatic about this. I believe it is an important but difficult subject but I am very practical about the whole thing. I have no expectations.

The cat I loved
The cat I loved. The picture was taken at my home in Farmer Street, Notting Hill Gate, London in the 1980s.

Above is a large format picture – a copy of a print – of Missie. She was a moggie with some Norwegian Forest Cat in her. Nothing special, generally, but special to me, personally. We were very close. She would sleep next to me, on my arm, sometimes. That is a picture that I keep safe in my mind. I also have a mental picture of her running from the back of the garden to me in the kitchen when I called on my return from work. So sad.

My love for her is absolutely pure and it is exactly as it was 20 years ago.

She is sweet looking, isn’t she? She was extremely athletic and courageous; actually fearless. Perhaps that contributed to her death on a road. I remember her in a special way.

As for Susan, we met at the Regent Street Polytechnic, Regent Street, London, in the first years of 1970. This was right at the center of London. I won’t say more.

21 thoughts on “Have you loved a cat more than a person?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Barbara, I love you and Ruth. I am sorry, so sorry for your loss as well. You know that. Hugs! (It needed an exclamation point.).

  3. Caroline, my sister Ruth just pointed out to me about your sad and tragic loss of Shrimpie, I’m so sorry. there are no words that will help or comfort you at such an awful time, but be assured that those of us who have also lost beloved cats understand your pain and despair and send you love and hugs xxxx

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