Being Mila’s Mom: I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

I was very uncertain about adopting a pet before I brought Mila into my life. And reasonably so; I was less than half way through college and didn’t know where my life was headed, I was concerned about what my roommates would think, and my parents were advising me against it. However, despite all these things pushing me away from the prospect of pet ownership, I adopted Mila anyway, and I’ve never looked back. Having her in my life has brought me so much joy and companionship and I would never have it any other way.

Being a pet owner has always had a positive impact on my life and my mental health. I have been a cat owner throughout the majority of my life, which includes before and after moving out of my parents’ house. Owning pets is and was infinitely enriching during both of those stages of my life, but I never realized how much more I would appreciate being a pet owner after leaving for college. I’ve always been very close with my parents, and while I know that they’re still there for me, it is hard being so far away from them and not seeing them regularly. With Mila around, I feel like I have a family member with me (after all, she is my daughter), which helps me cope with missing my parents, who were actually not supportive of my decision to adopt a cat at first.

I feel that my parents had fairly rational reasons to oppose my desire to adopt a cat. They warned me that I was too young to take on such a commitment and it would pose problems for me in the future regarding finances, travel, and moving from apartment to apartment. They weren’t wrong; at times it has been burdensome to have a cat while being in college and juggling school work, part time jobs, going home for the holidays, and moving to a new house or apartment almost every year. However, as I stated before, if I had the opportunity to go back and change my decision I wouldn’t. Struggling with all those things while taking care of Mila has been completely worth it as she has brought so much happiness into my life. I’m not necessarily advocating that everyone in my situation should adopt a pet; as I said before, I think my parents had reasonable concerns and it takes work to care for a pet. I also would have been even more reluctant over the idea of adopting a dog, as dogs require quite a bit more attention than cats. However, I have been able to handle the responsibilities of owning a pet while being in college and if you really feel that you can do the same, then I would recommend it. I wouldn’t trade my relationship with Mila for anything and I’m looking forward to the many years ahead that I’ll spend with her.