The dream has always been about
dogs—a pile of puppies greeting you at the door after a long day of work. For years I begged and pleaded with my
parents to get a dog and, finally, my prayers were answered. When the time comes to return to school and
part ways with the dog, I always tend to miss the little things about him; I
miss opening the door and seeing his fluffy hair fall in front of his eyes, or
the way he lays curled up next to me on the couch. Nothing could seem to fill the void in my
life that just begged to care for someone other than myself, who did not talk
back of course. That is until my
roommate brought home a kitten.
As you can tell by now, I am an
avid “dog person.” I have never gotten
along with cats—they hate me and I hate them.
I have tried time and time again, but I refuse to transfer over to the
dark side. Then, I met Layla, the tiny,
adorable kitten my roommate brought home one day. She was little in size and dark in coloring;
her tabby cat attributes gave her a curious look to her. I was hesitant to warm up to her, as she was
to us; she spent most days in her owners’ room hiding beneath the bed. One say she mustered up the courage to step
outside her comfort zone and greet the rest of the apartment. As much as she was afraid of me, I was
equally terrified of her. Every single
cat I had come into contact with up until that point had violently attacked me
(I’m overreacting a bit, but hey, it was scary).
I could feel myself tense up as she
came towards to me; I could hear her claws pull at the carpet as she walked
closer and closer. Then, something
amazing happened. I felt my arm extend
in an effort to attempt to pet her.
There I was, a self-proclaimed cat hater, slowly starting to scoop a
kitten up into my arms and cradle her as she purred and played with my
necklace. In that moment, I realized
that though I hate cats, I had a soft spot for this three-month-old kitten.
As silly as it seems, this defining moment helped me put other parts of
my life in perspective. It’s a tale as
old as time, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Just because you have a routine of disliking a certain group of people
or music or animals, does not mean that you are not capable of change. It is
said that owning a cat is a “heart healthy” decision that will help lower your
anxiety levels and calm you down with the sound of its hearty purr. If I went through the rest of my life
loathing cats, I would be missing out on non-stop Instagramming and
Snapchatting of this amazingly loveable animal who lifts my spirits after a
long day of work and school.
Just because I love the house cat
does not mean I can ever see myself taking care of one by choice. I will forever be a dog person, but I am now
able to have my hearts strings pulled by a tabby cat or two. Ah, well excuse me while I go play with the kitten!
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