Magnet (noun) - Something or someone that attracts people or things.

 I really hate to say this but I believe I've become a magnet. I'm attracting...(sigh)...cats. I don't know how it started and I've done nothing to encourage it, but it's happening.

Case in point....I have a potted Christmas cactus at my front door, and I started noticing sandy-gray fur snagged in cracks in the pot.  I also noticed that every morning some of the succulent leaves would be on the ground around the plant. These were leaves that were healthy and still green and firm, but somehow they were now on the ground.  So I would pick the leaves up and curse whatever furry creature was rubbing it's nasty little body against my potted plant.  At my back door, I  noticed a white cat curled up in the leaves taking a nap (yeah, the pile of leaves in the back yard is a whole 'nother blog entry!).  He wasn't bothering anything, but would raise it's head whenever I go to the back door.  I would say "hey," and keep on doing whatever in the kitchen.  Six weeks ago, my next door neighbor asked me if I had a cat and I, correctly, said no.  A week later, I opened the front door to go to work and there is this big long-haired sandy-gray cat stretched out across the length of my door.  He barely moved to my "Shoo! Shoo!  Get out of the way!"  Now every morning there is the sandy-gray monster in the front, and every evening when I come home the short-haired white one is in the back yard.  I don't feed them.  I don't leave water out for them. I just say "hey," which I feel is the polite thing to do.

I have a theory.... I am post menopausal.  My estrogen levels are near empty.  My pheromones no longer are strong enough to attract a good man.  Maybe, when you get a certain age, however, whatever hormones, or Mones, you have left attracts lower-life creatures....dogs, birds, rabbits, fish...Cats!!  Old women wearing shawls and having 84 cats in the house are not doing it because they want to.  They have that many creatures around them because they are attracting them...like magnets!  It's unavoidable.  It's kismet! It's fate....Destiny.  I'm doomed.

I haven't named the two cats yet but I do refer to them as male cats.  I'm just hoping that's how these things work....