It was June last year when my boyfriend adopted Darla, the little gray kitten that needed a home after hitching a 17-mile ride to work under the hood of my coworker’s car.
    It was also June of last year when I told you that hypothetically speaking, if ever Team Dog was to face off against Team Cat in the All-Star Animals national championship game, I would have no difficulty throwing my full support behind the squad of canines — no bones about it.
    It’s not that I hate every animal of the feline variety — as a pet sitter, I met some of the sweetest cats ever — but I’ve always simply considered myself a dog person: leashes > litter boxes, cowhide > catnip, howls > hisses. I simply prefer dogs.
    And I had always been confident in that assertion about myself — that is, until I took that little gray kitten home with me. Because my boy and I live in two different cities, and we both have pretty busy schedules, we weren’t planning on seeing each other until the weekend, which meant I was stuck with kitty for the next three days.
    At my house. With my two dogs.
    Darla spent those three days and nights in my bedroom under lock and key, and when Friday finally rolled around, we packed up the car and headed to her dad’s house. Darla was happy, my fella was happy, and my dogs and I were really happy.
    Darla has since grown into the beautiful, fluffy, chatty cat. I regularly exercise my weekend visitation rights, and she’s been perfectly content with her new home.
    And then February happened.
    I’ve been nagging my man to schedule an appointment to have Darla spayed, so when I saw on the Humane Society’s Facebook page that February is Fix Your Feline for 50 Bucks Month, I knew he couldn’t refuse.
    The only problem? Fix Your Feline Month is a sponsored by the Humane Society of Statesboro and Bulloch County and a handful of local veterinary clinics, which means Darla has returned to her old stomping grounds for the surgery.
    She’s scheduled for an appointment this Friday. In the meantime, she’s once again spending her time in my bedroom under lock and key while my dogs keep watch at the door. I don’t mind the company — she really is a sweetheart — but I can’t say I won’t be happy to take her home this weekend. I am, after all, on Team Dog for life.
    For more information about Fix Your Feline for 50 Bucks Month, you may contact the Humane Society of Statesboro & Bulloch County at 912.681.9393.

    Linsay Cheney is the editor of Connect Statesboro. Get in touch with her at lcheney@connectstatesboro.com.