I love my pussy, but she's not my kid..

I've noticed a phrase that annoys me being thrown out quite a bit - in This eHarmony discussion board thread (I've been lurking on the boards there in the hope of understanding women. No luck yet.) and in this CNN article on having your cats declawed - the old "my pets are my children" line.

As pretty much anyone who knows me knows, I has a kitty. Prior to adopting her, my pet experiences were zero- my brother was allergic, so growing up we had nothing above fish on the evolutionary scale. I adopted Nibbler because she needed a home, and I figured that I could use some company.

And I'm glad I did, even if I fear I'm becoming that single creepy cat guy. It's nice to have something alive greet you when you come home (even if it's because she's trying to run out the door) or to curl up in your lap while you are watching TV. I worry and feel bad about the little furball when I'm away or at work, and I often wonder if I'm taking good enough care of her.

Still, as much as I love the little furball, she's not my child. I didn't give birth to her, or cause her to be born. But it's not just because she r adopted - adopted kids get to be children. Adopted cats don't.

The fact is, my cat isn't going to go through the milestones that a human child does. She isn't going to have her first day of school, or graduate from college, or get her first job, or her driver's license. She won't be by my hospital bed when I'm old and sick. If I ever teach her to stop stealing food off my plate or waking me up a 4am, it will be a response to a negative, like getting sprayed with water or me putting her in the hallway and closing the door - not her learning about property rights or social mores.

I do think sometimes that I wouldn't mind having kids (provided I can ever find a woman willing to put up with me). The part of me that worries worries if I could do the whole parent thing, but the thought of leaving someone on this earth after I'm gone is tempting. And as much joy as I get from my little Niblet, that is something I could only get from a human child.