The weather is changing here in Georgia. It’s becoming cooler, and tonight it was breezy outside, so I could almost imagine I was sitting out near the ocean. I was petting one of our cats, and I realized a slow evolution has taken place at our house: we’ve become cat people.

I didn’t have a cat growing up. Our family had one dog most of my childhood, along with an assortment of caged feathery and furry creatures and, for a while, a horse. We did acquire one stray cat during my high school years.

Now, we’ve discovered cats to be good pets for kids. They’re pretty low maintenance if you have to go out of town for a day or so. Our cats stay outside and spend most of their days hunting mice or sleeping on the porch. We have three permanent feline pets, and one who drops in on the weekends smelling like perfume. We’re not sure where she spends her week.

Last summer, two of our cats had litters, and it was my job to find homes for 11 kittens. It was an enlightening experience for me. One lady called several times and wanted to talk about her old cat that had recently passed away. She told me story after story, and I could tell she was really grieving. Thankfully, she adopted one of ours, and I hope she’s beginning a new happy chapter of her life.

The other people who adopted our kittens routinely call us and tell us how spoiled they are, and what they’re getting into. Just like they’re describing children. “You won’t believe what Merlin and Lancelot did today,” my cousin told me. “They’re just breaking all the rules and climbing into the silver punch bowl in the dining room. Can you believe that?”

I checked, and we’re not alone in our cat ownership. According to a United Press statistic, 34% of American households claim to own a cat. That means people in nearly 100 million homes are petting a cat today.

In our extended family, all of our siblings own cats. And both sets of our parents own cats. Altogether, that’s at least a dozen.

Underneath our porch we have four new kittens. I know what you’re thinking. OK! I told everyone that as soon as my son started preschool I would take the cat mamas to the vet to prevent future litters. But it was too late. Now, I’ll soon be starting the process again of finding new homes.

Since it’s October, maybe these kittens will make perfect Christmas presents for someone. They’re adorable and of course kid-friendly. Any takers?