For the love of a pet
Our pets have given me a lot of love. When our old cat, Seuss, died, I was very upset. I didn’t really think I would want to write a column about him, but I am emotionally much better now.
Seuss came to us on a fall day. I remember how I was nervous about him. I’ve never really dealt with cats before. My Mom went inside after he came up to our porch; she had already fed him, and he showed up frequently around the neighborhood. When she went in, the cat started to walk around me, and rub his head against my ankles, I had no idea that that was how cats communicate. I was scared he was going to bite me or something. Looking back it’s really a funny memory!
But as time went on, he became an incredibly friendly pet; we all loved him dearly. My Mom, she is a cat person, claims she hasn’t seen many cats like him before with that much love in them.
I remember the day he died. I woke up and was still on my bed watching videos on the iPad. Then I heard my Mom start to cry. I ran into the kitchen to see what was wrong. I saw the look on her face, and I knew someone was gone. The rest of that day was painful. I don’t like to talk about the bad stuff; I want to remember it all how it was though.
Within the next week or two, we all wanted to get another cat really bad. Then one day we got our answer. I had been searching online about the local shelter’s cats. I saw a bunch that we liked, and then we decided to go to the shelter and meet some of these cats in person, to see which one to adopt. Of course, we weren’t planning on getting a cat that day or bringing one home.
When we got there, a few of the cats we had on our lists were not as they were on the videos — some cuddlier, some meaner, some a lot like the video, but one cat was adorable. He had black fur, not short or long, but fuzzy and unbelievably soft; it was a lot like velvet. His name was Smith. He was all grown up size-wise, but not at all a grown up. He was around 7 months old, a really playful little kitten with the softest kitty fur ever.
On the first night he came here, he must have been scared, He hopped on the bed with me and got really close. He was really cute. He doesn’t meow much, but he makes lots of noises when he jumps and walks and purrs pretty loudly too. Smith is a great cat, and I’m really glad we got him and welcomed him into our family. He really helped with all the grieving of Seuss.
A friend of my Moms said, when their cat died, they always decide to get another one within that week. It’s not to replace that cat, but to help the grief ... and Smith did. I still love Seuss, though ... and Smith but differently.
But, as a person who used to not like cats, I love them now!
Kyle Davis, 13, is an eighth-grader at Annawan Junior High. He can be reached at thedavis4@mchsi.com.
