Having a cat is a game changer for children

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Deputy Editor, Danielle’s cat Judas

Having a cat is a game changer for children

There’s no better day to celebrate all the ways a cat enriches a child’s life than National Cat Day!

We are big cat lovers at New York Family. The furry friends of our editorial team have even been known to participate in meetings from time to time! Ask any cat owner and they will probably tell you that their cat is not just a pet, but part of the family.

When we bring a cat into our home, we give our children the opportunity to experience unconditional love and devotion – an experience that can be truly transformative and cherished for a lifetime.

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Digital editor Naosha and her cat, Emerald

My mother had a story that she told me over and over again over the years. I enjoyed hearing it every time. It summed up our family so succinctly.

I come from a long line of animal lovers. Most photos of me and my sister show a cat or a dog, often both. My kids’ first photos are also full of our pets.

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A few years ago, while looking through family photos after my mother passed away, I noticed that most of the photos of my mother and my Uncle Richard are the same: full of pets.

There’s a beautiful photo of my sitter in a long winter coat, face to face with her German Shepherd outside Prospect Park. Then there are some of Nanny and Mama sitting in the house with a tiger cat on their lap, a black cat lying on the couch, a few orange tabbies sleeping on the bed, and much more.

Included in the stack of photos were some postcards that Mom had written to Nanny when she went away for the weekend with her fellow friends from nursing school. My mother always asked how her furry children were doing and said she missed them.

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Westchester editor, Thalia and her cat, Snoh

My mother has given me countless wonderful things in her life, and her love of animals is one of the many gifts for which I am so grateful. From Mom’s favorite story, it is clear that this gift was passed down from my nanny.

As a child, my mother was often ill and often had to stay in the hospital for long periods of time. As a sensitive child, she missed my Nanny terribly. Worse still, hospitals were not nearly as child-friendly then as they are now. They didn’t even let parents stay overnight with their children.

During a long hospital stay at what was known to Park Slope residents as “The Methodist,” one of the family cats gave birth to kittens. Nanny visited my mother several times a day as the hospital was only a few blocks away. Mom was so excited and looking forward to seeing them and so disappointed that she couldn’t.

One evening Nanny waited until visiting hours were almost over and went to say goodnight to Mom. She came in wearing her long coat and when the coast was clear, she brought out two kittens for my mother to meet. My mother says she squealed with joy and just couldn’t believe it.

Mom played with the kittens on her bed for a while before Nanny took them home for the night. It remained one of Mom’s favorite and lasting memories.

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Mother with two of her cats

I know this because when Mom was in her final days and her memories were fading, sometimes she became confused with who I was. One day I walked into the hospital to visit her and she smiled mischievously and asked me what was in my pockets. I immediately recognized where her thoughts were going and said, “Oh, I remember that story about Nanny!”

This immediately shocked her memory and she began to retell the story to me very happily.

I am so grateful for mom and nanny. Their love has shaped me in more ways than I can count. Growing up loving animals filled my days with joy and continues to bring so much happiness into my life.

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Danielle Ramos