Real Simple Staffers Love Their Pets

Elmer, Owned by Madaline Sparks, Contributing Writer

He’s not named after Elmer Fudd. A six-year-old, who had just been introduced to a certain brand of glue at school, gave Elmer his name. His original owners were neighbors of mine and he was an indoor-outdoor cat. He came to visit my husband and me quite often, and we thought he was quite possibly the handsomest, friendliest, coolest, most wonderful cat we had ever had the pleasure to meet. We fantasized that somehow he could be ours one day, not dreaming that it would ever happen. Through a series of unforeseen events, our dream came true! Our two very senior cats both had a paw in kitty heaven when we became the happy parents of Elmer. After they had passed, his sparkling personality generously filled the gap left in the wake of their sad departure. His old owners don’t miss him, and vice versa. They turned out to be “dog people” anyway (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Elmer likes to cuddle, hang out in the garden, drink water from a dripping bathtub faucet, ride in the car, and roll in the dirt. (I guess he doesn’t know he’s white.)