when a cat saves your life

It's no question that Nathan and I are obsessed with our cat. It used to bother me when people made comments, but now I don't care at all. She is our baby, no matter what. But as her days as an "only child" get less and less, my hear hurts a little bit. She has been the center of our attention for a year and a half, and she has no idea what's going to happen! I want to write my thoughts about this sweet kitty before our lives get crazy and she has to take a back seat, because she saved my life.

I remember the day we went to go get a cat, and I felt almost bad for this future cat of ours. This cat didn't have to just fulfill normal cat duties. This cat was filling a very big hole. A baby sized hole. And I worried that we were going to get a cat who was mean or who hid under the bed and slept all day. I needed something to take care of. I needed something to need me and love me. And not all cats do that. Somehow, we magically received the most loving, almost human-like, cat in the world.

We went to the shelter and went in room after room looking at cats. The second we walked into the room where Lady was, she ran over to the door meowing. Without thinking, I picked her up and she nuzzled into my neck and started purring. She wrapped her paws around my neck and neither of us could believe it. She was ours right then and there. We brought her home that day and she instantly became a part of our family.

We quickly learned she was absolutely the perfect cat for us. I know some people will think I sound crazy, but I know that we were supposed to take Lady home. She has become the biggest blessing in our lives, and she has been the absolutely best form of therapy. Giving birth and having to leave the hospital with no baby is the worst pain I have ever experienced. It's something I can't explain, but there's a hole. A deep, aching hole that never really goes away. But Lady helped fill it. She isn't a normal cat. Aside from that fact that she freaking hugs me, she loves attention. She just generally loves us. She follows us around and hates to be left out. She sleeps with us every night. She greets us at the door. She is super playful. She loves to be held. (True story, one time she fell asleep in my arms while I rocked her like a baby). She's not antisocial. The only time she hides is when we vacuum. She loves to spend time with us. It makes me laugh because she hates when we sleep in on the weekends. She will usually give us until 9 or 9:30, and then she comes right up in-between us and meows in our faces. It doesn't even make me mad because she's so dang cute.

I've realized that we are obsessed with our cat, but you have to understand, she has had a very specific purpose. I have read about therapy animals before and I believe it now more than ever. She helped heal my heart. I am so thankful to have her. The night we got her, 2 days after giving birth to Madelyn, I was standing in Madelyn's room crying. Lady came in and meowed at my feet. I picked her up and she nuzzled right into my neck and purred. I cried for a long time but it felt better to hold her. I really felt like she was trying to tell me that it would be okay. That I was going to have a hard year, but she would help me get by until I was whole again. Again, I realize this is a cat I'm talking about. But Lady isn't ordinary. And we needed her.

When the Fall came, my depression hit really, really hard. I hid my pain from everyone. Sometimes, I even hid it from Nathan, which is something I have never done. There were certain moments that only Lady saw. And I saw screw people who say cats are heartless, because Lady hated it when I cried. One time I sat on the bathroom floor sobbing uncontrollably and thinking there was no way I would make it to work. When I looked up she was sitting next to me. Then she rubbed up against me and it was the most special tender mercy. That day, she gave me the strength to get up off the floor.

She gave us something to love and something to take care of. She filled our instagrams and our hearts. She still does. She is my little buddy and hangs out with me all day. As I type, she is napping by my side on the couch. I am a firm believer in animal therapy. I am so thankful we found Lady and that she is a part of our family. I know things are going to change in the next few weeks, but I'll always remember and always be eternally grateful for the happiness and healing she brought to our lives.