My Furever Baby

Let me just start by saying I am no stranger to pets. Growing up, my father always had a string of animals going through our house. We went through so many dogs it was insane. But he was never satisfied with only dogs. We had cats, iguanas, rabbits, birds, snakes, hamsters, turtles, and fish. We were very lucky children to be surrounded by so many different kinds of animals. It was amazing growing up the way I did, and it fed my love of animals today.

Most of the animals my father picked himself, or at least the breed. For instance, I begged for a small dog breed because my dad only ever got bigger breeds. So, one day a lady came to our house with three tiny chihuahua puppies. I didn't pick the breed, but I did pick the puppy! My very first personal dog. I named him Monster after our previous dog that ran away and got picked up, yet never returned. It was fairly fitting in an adorable kind of way. Not long after, my father picked me up from school one day with another chihuahua puppy in the car with him, which we name Mini (though this spelling was my personal preference, my dad preferred Minnie). I loved these dogs so much it was insane. I dressed them in clothes, which they loved as much as I did. I rode with them in a basket on the front of my bicycle. They were my babies, but alas, were not by my side till the end. My father moved out of state, and I stayed with my mother. I wasn't allowed to keep them at my moms, so he took them with him. I visited and loved them as much as I could, but they both passed away eventually without my being there. It was heartbreaking, but I know they lived long, full lives. And the distance between us for those last few years softened the blow of their passing.

During the time spent at my mothers, we weren't able to have cats due to her new husband being allergic, and we ended up only having two dogs. I had no say in the breed or dog. They were just there one day, and I oddly never felt an attachment to either of them. They weren't mine. So, in the four or so years I was living with my mom, it was quite a shock having so little animals. The last time I had lived with my dad we had three cats and three dogs. So, as you can imagine, it was odd for me to experience so few pets, even having none at all for a while.

Eventually, I moved out due to going away for college. I lived in off-campus housing, so it's been years since I've lived with an animal at this point. I was actually quite desperate for a furry friend. Thankfully, my roommate and best friend from high school felt the same, and we decided to get a cat. We lived on the third floor, and though the housing allowed dogs, we thought a cat would be much better due to our environment. We found a rescue, looked through their photos of cats available and picked out a handful to check out when we decided to go.

Our excitement was overflowing. We had planned this for months and we had already prepared everything our new family member would need. We just needed the animal in question. Though we picked out potential furbabies, we decided meeting them in person and our gut feelings were most important in picking our baby. When we arrived, we were allowed to look at all the cats available. There were tons, some in cages, some in playrooms. We looked around a bit before deciding to search for the ones we picked out from their website. I'm not ashamed to admit we definitely picked most of the cats out due to looks. We were both attracted to the calico/tortoiseshell coat, or any interesting coat we didn't see much, as we both grew up with a few cats. We looked at all of the cats on our list and none of them really felt 'right'. As we were deciding whether to give one of the ones we chose from the site a second glance, I spotted a cat laying on a cat tree, curled into a ball and sleeping soundly despite all cats in the room running about. The pose was quite cute, so I ran my fingers over her fur, petting her softly. She woke up, of course, and immediately turned on the charm. She was incredibly friendly to both of us, which put us immediately at ease since the cat we looked at before her was only nice to me and not my roommate. I remember we both kind of looked at each other and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. That we might have just found our furbaby. Looking at her information sheet on the door, she was everything we were looking for: friendly, a lapcat, not to old or young, and she loved us both. We made our choice! She was the one, and we immediately set her adoption into motion. She came home with us that same day and we've never regretted it since.

Her name is Cookie. We didn't name her, that was the name she already had. And though I wouldn't personally ever name an animal that, it was cute and suited her just fine. I love her with all my heart. She's far from perfect. She eats plastic like its filet mignon, is super needy, and gets into things she really shouldn't, but never once have either of us regretted getting her. After a year, we decided for her to be only my cat as she was most attached to me. My roommate still loves her, but she has her own cat now and they get along quite well.

Cookie is the very first animal I completely found on my own. I was even the one who noticed her at the shelter. And there is nothing like choosing your own furbaby. It makes the bond even more special, and I feel like it was fate. I eventually had her registered as my emotional support animal. Her presence helped get me through my father's passing a couple years ago. She has an uncanny ability to want snuggles and attention when I need her most. She'd sit in my lap and purr or snuggle up to me on the bed when I cried. She gave me the affection I needed and wanted at such a hard time in my life. I wanted space from people, but she gave me the affection I still craved without the presence of people who couldn't hide the pity and sympathy they felt for me. But honestly, sometimes it seems like she needs me more than I need her at times, and there is just something about being needed that makes you feel good about yourself. She gets sad when I have to go somewhere and I have my friend pet sit. And every time I return it's with the excitement a dog might give their owner. She's definitely one of the friendliest cats you'll meet, and everyone that meets her loves her. She offers endless entertainment, whether its of the cute or funny kind. Cats in general are just hilarious, and she is a prime example. Attached above is an amusing video of me playing with her (I hope you can see it, if not IM SORRY!). She annoys easily, but that's also how she plays. She's an interesting cat for sure, but she'll always be my little Cookie Ball, my Baby, my Cookie Bookie, my child. I hope I have many more years to come with her, and I know every one of them she'll be by my side.