Mittens

In April of 2020, my elderly Persian cat had to be put down because of all the pain he was in from not functioning anymore. For years, he was loved by my whole family, coming to us when my grandmother became too old to take care of him anymore. 2020 was already a rough year, but on top of Sonny's passing, the whole house was down. Our two-year-old rescue, Blinky, who we had found at about six weeks old abandoned in the middle of an intersection, was lonely and depressed with his grumpy friend now gone. Blinky would wander the house for Sonny before settling to watch the birds by himself.

As I still live with my parents, I had to convince them to take on a new pet. For years, my dad would tell us no more pets, until we would just come home with another stray off of the street. We found Blinky on my father's birthday, so when we came home with this malnourished kitten, my mom popped him into my father's palm and said, "happy birthday." Now my father loves Blinky even though Blinky has grown up to be a jerk.

Anyways, because Blinky is a jerk who only shows occasional affection to my twin sister, my mom was gung-ho for another cat. My dad finally agreed, but then we had to find a cat to bring home. We knew we wanted either a kitten or a young cat to adapt easier to a new environment. Because of the pandemic, we had to look online because shelters would not allow us to walk in. After searching online for a couple of days, we found the description of a 12-week old kitten by the name of Mittens. She was described and playful and friendly, the runt of her litter. It was around six at night, and I showed my mother the picture, and she was ready to go pick her up immediately. I submitted my application, and by some miracle, we able to adopt Mittens the next morning.

Mittens was so tiny that the kitten collars were too big for her. She has an over-bite, so her top teeth are always showing. Her front legs were bow-legged a bit, but nothing that would affect her in life. The shelter volunteer explained that Mittens and her siblings were found in the sewer, so her whiskers were cut because of waste that they could not clean off. Even though she was small, she had a big personality. When we brought her home, she was eager to explore and make friends, much to the chagrin of Blinky. We kept them separated for days to acclimate to each other, or more for Blinky to accept her. When she was done exploring the house, she curled right up to my mom and fell asleep. My mom almost cried.

Mittens brings a much-needed light into our lives during this pandemic. She is talkative, sassy, and sweet. Her purrs as she curls up to my head at night keep me happy during such difficult times. She is always just happy to be included in the house. After about a week, Blinky accepted her. They snuggle and play now like a classic brother and sister duo. Blinky has calmed down some, with a more friendly feline presence in the house. She learned from him to harass my sister for food and use the litter box (there were some rough stinky days). We joke that she is our very own emotional support animal.

She is our special girl who makes every day better. I am so glad we decided to adopt her last year. She truly is the light of my life and keeps the family on our toes.