Your First Cat

[Katie M]

It was maybe a month or two before my fifth birthday. We had an aquarium, but I think my parents wanted us to have a pet we could actually interact with, so they took me and my younger brother to a shelter in Virginia Beach (where we lived at the time.)

We managed to narrow it down to two kittens-a black female and a solid grey male. The shelter said they were littermates, but my parents said we could only take one. They left the decision to me.

It's possible I had never seen a solid grey cat before, so I think that factored into the decision. I chose the male, and we named him Pepper. I remember (half) joking that we should've also gotten a white cat and named it Salt

 

[Mer.kitten]

Our first family cat i can remember wasLucy-gray with a white tummy. She was a great kitty, but then my mom went to the dump and found Slim, a pregnant tabby, who i called Brat Cat cos she was always meowing about something. Slim had 3 kittens-Barlow, a boy, and Belvedere a girl, and another girl who i was allowed to name. I called her Susie. #%:&* why do i want to tear up now? i wasnt expecting this :/ Anyway much like OP, i had a troubled childhood. i was often reduced to crying on my bed in my room. Susie wasnt really a lap cat, but she slept at the foot of my bed every night. But we livee in the country and all our cats were indoor-outdoor - allowedin and out whenever they wanted-so they were more independent and less cuddly. But the times id find myself face in hands, sobbing my 6 year old heart out... here would come Susie. Shed look at me questioningly, bump her head against mine... and ::curl up in my lap::. It was never for long, only 15-20 minutes, but it was always sufficiently amazing to me that after a few minutes my tears would dry up. *Susies snuggling with me. Susie, who never gets on anyones lap*. And it would be enough to mend my little 6 year old heartfor another day.

She lived to a decently old age before she got sick and my mom had to put her to sleep. I loved her SO much, and i alwsys will. if theres aheaven, shes there chasing butterflies and waiting for me. I love you, Susie.