A missing piece of my puzzle
Now this writing is going to be something not many know anymore. A little piece of oneself that inexplicably missing. The smallest idea that is taken for granted for some. I’m talking about pets.
Growing up in my household I never had any pets. My father is allergic to all types and my brother was allergic to cats and with my mother having no interest in taking care of a small fuzzy creature, I never knew what it was like to have a small friend to call my own. My friends and close neighbors all had pets and they just thought nothing of it, it was just something they grew up with and never saw them as anything but a common thing. I didn’t.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted a cat. I liked dogs, sure, but I’ve always felt a better connection to a cat since I love nothing more than to lay around being warm and watching movies. I wasn’t really an active person so I wanted a pet to match my lifestyle with no issues. It wasn’t until July of 2019 that I finally got what I’ve always wanted. Two cats named Raven and Zuzu.
The girl I was dating at the time had a cat and that cat was pregnant. I was helping her find homes for the newly born kittens and helping to take care of them everyday as if they were my own. I bottle fed them, helped them learn to use a litter box, helped them explore and made sure they were all groomed efficiently. It was the most fun I’ve ever had with someone else, taking care of the kittens, and over time I grew super attached to them. There was five kittens so it was a handful. It took two of us and the mom to take care of the curious babies. Four girls and one boy, it was a lot of work. We managed to find homes for three of the cats and when it came the final two, I couldn’t let go. I told her I wanted them. I would be their home.
Now, my dad did not suddenly lose his allergy, nor did my brother. So I had to sneak them into my bedroom with hopes no one would find out. Little did I know, they would LOVE to run out of my room when I wasn’t home. Needless to say, they were not happy. I was only having them stay at that house for a short while during a move anyway so they ended up giving in and I had my two new babies. Now that was a lot of backstory but it really just wanted to lead me to this: I have never felt a purer or more intense love from anyone than I did from these kittens. For me, they are a part of my life. For them, I am their whole lives. They have known nothing else besides my love and my touch. They cry when I leave and scream when I come home. They wait for me, and yell for food. They want constant love and sleep 16 hours a day. They love me so much and I can’t even remember life before them because they mean so much to me.
Having a pet can change your life. They know when I’m stressed, they wake me up to take care of them, they get worried when I leave and really make me grow up and be a better person. If there is ever a morning I want to lay around and be sad, just having a bad day to start off, they will come and cuddle me till I feel a little better and then scratch me to feed them. They force me to recover and never let me be alone. As I’m writing this, I have one cat on my side and the other by my head. They hate leaving me. I was missing out on so much and I do resent anyone who abuses this love. Pets don’t know any different. Some people neglect or hate their animals and they don’t understand. Pets don’t understand why you don’t come home because you go out partying all the time. They just wait. They just love.
These kittens are the missing pieces I didn’t know I needed. I will spoil them with love and food until they decide their time is up and then I just appreciate the time I had with them. I thank Raven and Zuzu everyday for their gift of being alive with me. I don’t think I would have made it through this rough year without them.
