From Grief to Life

My family is no strangers to pets. We’ve had everything from cats to bunnies to a truly spectacular number of fish. We’ve adopted our pets from stores and shelters, they’ve been store raised and strays. However, this story isn’t about them. This story is about my pet, my precious little kitten and how he came into my life. This story started on January 6, 2015, the worst moment of my life, the day my brother died. We were born only 16 months apart and he was the most important person in my life. He was always there to encourage me, make me smile and had always been by my side. So, you can imagine that losing him was more than heartbreaking and that after I did, I found that I was pretty lonely. My other siblings were many years older than me and not living at home, so we hadn’t been very close at the time. So, to help ease my loneliness I asked my parents if I could get a pet. A therapy pet to help me through my grief, to support me and give me a whole new reason to smile.

Of course, we had had pets in the house before, 2 family cats: one that got sick and had to be put down the other still with us and healthy, lots of hamsters that came and went, a rabbit that also became ill, a guinea pig and a lizard that both got old, so we were well versed in taking care of an animal. By the time my brother died only our second cat was still alive, so there wasn't a lot of fluffy non-judgemental, innocent comfort for me. Our second cat had always been more my mothers than anyone else’s, though she would accept our love and affection nonetheless. To make sure I had a pet that would be my very own and would only be mine, my mom and dad talked to the shelter where we had adopted our cats before to see if there were any that we could adopt. That's when we first heard the tale of the tabby kitten who would become my dear little friend. This kitten was just a few months old and a stray when he wandered into a construction site and straight into a worker’s toolbox! The worker, as soon as he noticed the little one, took him to a nearby shelter so they could take a look at him and ensure his health. The shelter had named him toolbox in honour of how and where he was found, though when he was adopted into my family, I gave him a new name. The first time we were introduced was at the shelter and I fell in love at first sight. This tiny, adorable, shockingly ginger cat who looked at me like he needed me as much as I needed him. For his new name, in honour of his colouring, I named him Jack as he reminded me so much of a jack-o-lantern! So, there he was, my little pumpkin kitten who at the time could curl up in just my hands.

When we were finally able to take him home after all the paperwork and shots, he was so nervous to be in the car, stuck in a carrier. He finally started to relax when we got home and he was introduced to my room where he would stay exclusively for the first few months. We did it this way both so he wouldn’t get hurt exploring the house before he was big enough and so that he and I could bond. And did we ever bond. Even after he was big enough to start to go off and explore the rest of the house, I was still his favourite person and he always preferred to be with me more than any other. He would always come back to my room every night and would seek me out from wherever I was inside the house during the day. When I got sick and wasn't able to tolerate much stimulus, he would set himself up wherever I was and guard me. He would stand there like he was protecting me from anyone or anything that would cause me harm. Though, we still cuddled and I was still able to take care of him, admittedly my family did help out with that when I couldn’t.

Regardless, my little Jack has been such an important and cherished part of my life. I couldn’t be any happier for the day this tiny kitten stumbled into my life and began to heal me everyday we were together with love and fluffy cuddles. He was someone I could say anything to and not need to worry about how my words would be received. He was someone I didn’t need to put on any masks around, who I could just be myself around with no worries. He was someone to cry on and someone who would give me unconditional, innocent love no matter when I needed it or what I needed it for.

He healed me with fluffy cuddles, cute faces, kitten licks and by just being there any and every time I needed him. He gave me the innocent love of a creature who didn't know pain or suffering. A creature incapable of guile and would only ever offer me love. Just looking at him could make me smile because how could I frown looking at something so innocent and so untainted. He brought me so much joy just by being with me. And so that is the story of how my beloved pet cat became a part of my life and changed it for the better, the story of how I went from overwhelming grief to joyful life with the help of a furry little friend.