Bennie

This is Bennie. The reason I hold any photo I take of her so closely is because I would’ve never in a million years would’ve guessed that I would’ve had a pet cat. Nonetheless that said cat would become my best friend. I thought cats would only claw and scratched everything. But Bennie came into my life by a random chance and I truly believe she came into my life for a reason.

One day my mom came home and believed she heard a soft meow in her car. My dad looked all around the car but found nothing. Three days later he found a little ball of orange curled up in our playhouse. I remember the moment he found her. My parents told me not to get too attached cause we were only going to keep her until she was grown enough to take care of herself on her own. Too bad I had already named her and I believe we all know that when you named something you’ve already begun a small bond. Now I’m not sure why but the first thing that popped into my head was Elton John’s “ Bennie & The Jets “. Thus the name Bennie was placed upon our new addition to the family.

The first night we took her in she wouldn’t stop crying. But every time she saw me she would stop crying. I begged my parents to allow Bennie to stay in my room for the first night. If only I knew that would be the night I would remember forever. It was time to go to bed and as I began to shut my eyes I heard a small crying kitten. So I got off my bed to see her and she stopped crying. As I went back to sleep she began to cry again. This happened for most of the night until I decided to just fall asleep on the floor beside her. That's when I knew we had a special bond.

Three Years Later I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She has grown into the independent but confident cat she is today. It’s amazing to see how much she has grown from the small terrified kitten we found on that cold winter day to the brave cat roaming our yard. She's for sure the smartest cat I’ve ever met. Bennie runs the house as if it’s her own palace. She may be small but that never stops her from protecting herself. Through all she has been through I know we’ve given her the best life a cat could have. In return she gave me the best first pet a kid could have. Throughout the years I’ve taken so many photos of her and come to realize how photogenic she is. Perhaps she does it on purpose. Just another way how she is far too smart to be in a cat's body. I remember a while back I had come across a saying “ You Take Photos of things you fear of losing the most “. It was as I was looking over 1,000 photos of Bennie that I began to realize how truly important this little cat had become in my life. She wasn’t just a cat, she was my best friend and she knew that too. I love the days where it’s just her and I together out in my backyard as that is her favorite place to roam.

The reason I chose this photo was because not only does it capture the beauty that is Bennie, but I believe it shows how she is the light in my life. When the moments seems dull her bright orange fur warms my heart. I never understood the bond a person can have with their pets as I believed they were just animals. But it is now that I have got Bennie that I see how much an animal can mean to a person. As Bennie is the best thing that has ever come into my life. So I present Not only Bennie The Cat but Bennie My Best Friend.