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Pets Welcome: An Ode to my Furry Nephew

Wherein I gush uncontrollably about my buddy for a few words.

By Ghezal AmiriPublished 4 years ago 7 min read
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Like anyone who has an animal member of the family, I absolutely did not expect to fall as head over heels as I did.

The sheer love you feel for a pet can transcend even certain human relationships. As someone who is not really a proponent of children (I think they're great but they're just kind of small and dumb... through no fault of their own, of course), bringing home a new kitty is as if you have a new baby in the house only the cat has the ability to use the bathroom, feed and bathe itself. Sure babies are babies but a cat! Now that is when the real fun begins.

There are, of course, massive responsibilities placed on you because you chose to bring this new critter into your life. You've hopefully executed all your due diligence and weighed out all the pros/cons until you ultimately decide this is the route you want to take. After months upon months of discussions about absolutely everything, they finally agreed to begin the process of bringing Pisho home.

Let's Take it Back to the Beginning

My brother and sister-in-law began discussing bringing home a cat when they were settled into their new place and I thought it was a fine idea. At first I figured it would be a nice way to pass the time, playing around and petting the new cat as we used to do whenever we'd visit my cousin's place. My cousin's cat would've honestly made the very concept of "hyper" want to take a break occasionally, she was delightfully insane. They said goodbye to many couches and dozens of curtains through the years due to her excitability and I was always amazed at how nonchalantly they'd say "so yeah she got into the closet and ripped up my new blouse... But then she started purring so I couldn't be mad at her."

What a concept! Pre-Cat days I would've said I don't know how I could possibly keep my cool if that happened.

Post-Cat: If he wanted to drive my car into a ditch I would make sure to have a large cushion placed at the bottom of said ditch so he wouldn't get hurt.

No Place Like Home

They brought Pisho home on July 27th, 2019. I vividly remember this day because I was at my friend's place for a barbecue. Once I got the text from my brother ("eagle has landed") I bid my adieus and drove over to his place. When I first arrived, they kept him in the home office so he could get acclimated with everyone. He was this tiny, nervous little thing but I could sense the pure energy pulsating through his kitty veins.

He scurried around the room probably 1001 times. I honestly don't know what he was expecting to find after the 999th time but hey, he did his thing. Who was I to tell him how to do his thing? He found hiding spots under the printer and office chair, occasionally peeking his head out to make sure we were still there.

Here is the first ever picture I've taken of him where he gently placed his paw on my sister-in-law's hand:

His name comes from the word "Pishack" which means "Cat" in Farsi. "Pisho" would be like his professional name while I call him "Peesh."

From the moment I greeted him with a high pitched "hiiiiiIIIiii kiIiiiiTTttyYY!" I was hooked. They bought him over a billion toys and he was infatuated with this little feather bell attached to the end of a long stick thing which I'm certain has an actual name.

While all the adults were staring lovingly at him, I headed to their living room to grab my jacket and it was then that I realized I left my jacket at my friend's place along with my wallet which included my driver's licence... Never drive without a licence, kids!

I had to bow my head in unfortunate shame and say a brief goodbye while I... teleported back to my friend's house to retrieve my jacket and wallet. Thankfully they don't live too far from my brother's so I was back in no time for our further stare gathering.

Getting To Know You

Throughout the almost one year they've had him, I've heard Peesh meow maybe four or five times. He is simultaneously the most insanely energetic feline you'll ever encounter while managing to be the embodiment of lazy.

He's a walking juxtaposition.

Ever since he was a kitten, he would suddenly burst onto the scene running around and craved the chase I would give him. When I'd eventually give up, I would randomly stumble upon him knocked out in what seemed to be an incredibly uncomfortable position but he was into it. He would remain in this slumber for hours.

I'd pick him up and carry him over to the couch where I was watching my favourite shows (more on that below) and he'd continue to be like, inebriated on air. I'd run my fingers through his silky fur and have to constantly rewind the scene that just happened because I would be staring at him sleeping.

... Ten minutes later you'd think I had him chained up to a medieval torture device, he's wiggling around and squirming, yelling at me to put him down.

"You were attached to me a moment ago, what happened?!" I cry out.

I'm essentially in a hot and cold relationship with my furry nephew and he holds all of the cards - I just do what he deems as fair at the moment.

"Is this food?" - Peesh 2020

The Greatest Gift of All

There is an incredible company called "Crown & Paw" and whenever I learned about them I knew I had to place my order immediately.

A few months after Peesh's inauguration, I stumbled upon Crown & Paw from Instagram. Their mission states they are a "fun-loving custom pet goods brand dedicated to helping pet owners express their love, adoration, and sometimes even their obsessiveness, with their beloved pets."

What hooked me in was what they specialize in which is "[curating] authentic 19th century portraits and rare Renaissance era oil paintings and combine them with pets of all shapes and sizes."

Both my brother and I are history buffs. Renaissance era oil portraits are captivatingly mystifying and I knew I had to send in Peesh's picture for this as a welcome home gift... Months after he was welcomed home.

The end result remains my favourite investment I've ever undertaken. The portrait arrived and it was perfect. It has now found a home placed front and center in their kitchen and just look at the raw jubilation in this cat's face:

Ecstatic

Sustaining My Adoration with Snapchats

Since I unfortunately need to lead my own life and can't spend every waking moment with him, I typically annoy the everlasting love out of ask my brother politely to send me various Snapchats of him throughout the day.

It quite literally doesn't matter what he's doing - sleeping, pooping, eating, whining, smelling, licking, really anything ending in -ing - please take a Snap and send me it all.

My personal favourites are the entries in the "Welcome To My Life" series:

Ecstatic pt. 2

He Loves The Binge

I genuinely spend an excessive amount of my time watching movies and TV shows... And with the addition of Peesh to the family, I have a new buddy who never judges me when I'm on my 14th episode of Seinfeld or 401st rewatch of Killing Eve.

I'm fairly certain he has no idea what's happening on screen but for all I know, he's got an entire analytical dissertation prepared in that furry little tiny headed brain of his.

He's into Japanese reality shows and Drag competitions while also appreciating the icons of the 1990s

I truly never appreciated the idea of "oh those kids grow up so darn fast!" until I realized just how darn fast these kids grow up.

There was a time when his pocket-sized self could snugly fit right inside my lap and now his luscious self just seeps out of every crevice.

August 2019 | April 2020

Pets are an utterly delightful gift from the Animal Gods up above. If you are able to properly care for them, the love and support they exude on a daily basis genuinely makes life all the more enjoyable.

Read about other Vocal Members' beloved furry friends at the Pets Welcome Challenge!

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About the Creator

Ghezal Amiri

Afghan-Canadian writer who enjoys witty quips and BTS, proper grammar and Jodie Comer.

I tweet with @MrsBananaPhone because it's the best and beats the rest.

I also have designs: https://www.teepublic.com/user/designingsimple

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