MY CAT

This is the short version:

Some people don’t understand the value of a pet. Some people have never owned a pet. When I was a child, my family had a dog. Her name was Princess. I don’t remember what breed she was, but I remember she was all white. She was a cute dog. I remember we had to have her put down because she had gotten very sick. I remember going to the vet with my father on that day. I remember crying in the parking lot afterwards. It’s so sad to have a pet put down. That was over 30 years ago.

Fast forward to 7.5 years ago. August 13, 2014. My friend had posted on Instagram that she had found a litter of kittens outside her job. She waited a while, but no mommy cat ever appeared. So, she took the whole litter home with her (there were 5 or 6 kittens I believe). She wanted to find homes for all of them. And she did. That’s the litter that my cat, Paisley, came from. And I’ve never regretted it. Not even for a second.

I’ve had Paisley since he was about 3 weeks old. I’ll never forget seeing the pictures of him on social media. I debated with myself for a little while about whether to get one of the kittens or not. And then one night, I said to myself that I really want, no I need, one. So, I texted my friend and asked her if any of the kittens were still available. She told me that she was on her way to the shelter with the last one. I told her “NO!!” and that I’ll take him. So, we met in the parking lot of a mall. I’ll never forget how tiny he was. He was in a laundry basket and had a pink blanket. He was so cute. I knew instantly that I had made the right decision.

When I arrived with him at my apartment, I knew that the next step was going to be to get him food, and litter, and a litter box, and toys, and everything else that I needed for a cat. The first couple of weeks I left him in the bathroom whenever I went out. He was so tiny, and I didn’t want him to get lost in the apartment. Whenever I was home, I made sure that I spent time with him. I can only imagine how he felt when his mom abandoned him. I didn’t want him to feel abandoned ever again. So, whenever I was home, I held him, played with him, made sure he knew I’m there for him. Even now, he cuddles in my lap when I’m sitting on the couch. He still curls up by my feet sometimes when I go to sleep at night. He’s definitely a “momma’s boy.” And I’m ok with that.

Did I spoil him when he was a kitten? Yes. Absolutely. Am I bothered by that? No, not at all. Every time I arrive home, he’s always right at the door waiting for me. He usually wants me to follow him around the apartment (because he wants me to give him treats). Sometimes he’ll just stay by my feet and follow me around the apartment. When he does that, it’s because he wants me to pick him up and hold him like a baby. So, I do. And then he takes his front paws and gives my arm a hug and starts licking my hand. He misses me when I ‘m not home.

I don’t care what anyone says, pets are smart. Pets have feelings and emotions just like humans do. I’m pretty sure that Paisley goes through separation anxiety when I’m not home. I feel that because his mommy left him while he was so young, he’s afraid that I’m going to leave him too.

Although I have a complicated and busy schedule, I make sure I spend as much time with Paisley as possible. He always follows me around the apartment. He likes to snuggle with me when I’m watching television. He sits on the floor in the kitchen and watches me cook. As I write this, he is watching me from his cat condo.

One of his favorite games to play is chasing the string (actually I use ribbon). He loves the game. I walk throughout my apartment dragging the ribbon behind me. He follows me and chases the ribbon. He slaps his paw on the ribbon so I can’t go anywhere. He’ll try to drag the ribbon towards him. He’s not always quick enough though; when he lets go the chase begins all over again. Sometimes he’ll even take the end of the ribbon in his mouth and run away with it.

He has beds all over the apartment. I’m not sure which one is his favorite one because he uses all of them. If he doesn’t snuggle with me at night, he usually sleeps in one of the three that he has in the living room. But if I wake up in the middle of the night, he’s usually snuggled by my legs.

This is truly a case of who rescued who because even though I was able to prevent Paisley from going to the shelter, he rescued me as well. He’s been through a lot with me over the past 7.5 years. I still spoil him. He’s my baby and I’m glad that texted my friend that night in August 2014 and picked up the cat and brought him home with me.

(Disclaimer: that is not Paisley in the photo above. That is a picture I found online, and I liked it. Photo credit has been given above)