Saya’s Lessons in Pet Ownership
The following information includes things I assume my cat, Saya, thinks about me as an owner. This is from Saya’s perspective, so enjoy!
“There are a lot of things I’ve had to teach my mother since she adopted me when I was a kitten. I don’t know what she would have done if I didn’t choose her! We need each other. Sometimes I get really anxious and I need my mommy to calm me down and keep me safe. She gets anxious too but she’s a lot louder, and sometimes she will cry so that’s when I pounce on her to make her laugh and calm down. I’m good at making her laugh. As much as I love her though, I have rules too! Here are 5 of my main rules when it comes to taking care of me:
- Playtime is all the time. Whether it is 3 in the afternoon or 4 in the morning, I want to play! I love my stress soccer ball that my mommy got me, and I like to sink my claws into it and kick it. One of my favorite past times is sprinting and scooting across the room, but she usually looks at me and asks me what’s wrong.
- Catnip is the only way to go. Treats, toys, even scratching pads…no matter what it is, it can always be improved with catnip! She doesn’t give me enough in my opinion, but I love the stuff. She puts it on my scratch pad and I could just drool on it and attack it for hours! Then I fall asleep on it. When I’ve been good, she gives me a little handful of catnip treats to snack on. She never leaves me wanting.
I want to chew all the plastic. And the chargers. Mom doesn’t seem to understand that everything is mine, therefore I should get to chew on it! I will admit that I chewed her phone charger to the point of no return, and I do get sick on plastic bags sometimes, but I like them! I don’t care if it’s bad for me. Then I do enjoy the toys she gives me to distract me from that stuff.
- Your shoulder is my Pride Rock. When I was a kitten, mommy would always let me climb on her shoulder to look outside from the windows. Little did she know that she was training me to be the Queen of Pride Rock! Now, whenever there’s an opportunity to sit on her shoulder or lie down on her back, I take it and I stay for as long as she can. When I do that and mommy tries to move though, I run away because I don’t know where she’s taking me! I don’t want her to drop me.
I will love you forever. Seriously though, my mommy has done a lot for me since I was a kitten. When she went away to school and I got sad, she got sad, so she brought me with her the next year. Now we are inseparable, or even more so than before. We take care of each other in ways that neither of us ever thought possible (because let’s face it, cats get a bad rap for supposedly not caring about their humans). She loves on me every day and always makes sure I have everything I need, even before she eats, does homework or sleeps. I’ve always been her first priority. When storms come, she puts me in my carrier before she even puts on shoes so I’m safe and ready to move to a safe spot.
Adopting me was probably not the easiest thing my mommy has ever done, and it wasn’t easy for me to get used to how different life has gotten. However, adopting each other was one of the most rewarding things in my life and I know my adopted mother feels the same way.”