As a fur mom on Mother’s Day, I can’t help but feel I deserve breakfast in bed too (though some have warned me to be careful what I wish for!). As with two-legged children, our pets enrich our lives and make us who we are. In honor of the day, I wanted to share a story of how Petie has changed me.
Petie pork chop. Doesn’t he look like a turkey in this photo?
The doorbell rings and at a physics-defying pace for a cat of his girth, Petie is up a flight of stairs and in his safe place (the depths of my bedroom closet). Not exactly what I had in mind when adopting my second four-legged son.
At twenty pounds he looks the part of the cuddly lap cat – come-hither looks, squeeze-beckoning belly. Sadly, it’s a ruse. Speak loudly or approach too quickly and this feline Don Juan morphs into the cowardly lion in the flash of an eye. Many of my closest friends have caught only glimpses of him in the flesh. Others doubt his existence.
The relationship I have with Petie is not what I expected. In truth, it’s not what I desired. But like the song goes “You don’t always get what you want…you get what you need.”
Not only has Petie inspired my blog (he’s the face of I HAVE CAT) and is the reason I’m a vegetarian, but he’s taught me about how I interact with the world.
I’m a passionate extrovert who‘s transparent about I feel and what I want. You’ll often find me bee-lining for my cats calling their names in a high pitched voice. While Kip (my 7 year-old tabby) tolerates my advances, Petie will have nothing of the sort. Any overt attempt to touch him is met with flight or if cornered, airplane ears and a look of great distain.
Some have questioned how I can love an animal that seemingly doesn’t care to be in my company. But I know the truth.
About a year after he joined our family Petie surprised me by sitting at the foot of the stairs crying “mewrk! mewrk!” As I stood he began ascending the stairs, head turned back keeping eye contact to ensure I was following.
At the top of the stairs he threw his body on the floor, exposed his tender white underbelly and stared expectantly. In a state of shock I extended my hand and began running my fingers through his fur. Eureka!
This has led to a ritual between us.I hear his broken meow and I know “loving time” has arrived. With some space and patience, we worked out a way to appreciate each other.
Petie reminds me to be patient with the two-legged furless people in my life. To look for gratitude, approval and love in ways other than I might expect. Each person – child, friend, and coworker – has their own language.
He has taught me that sometimes I must curb my enthusiasm in order to gain someone’s trust and allow them to open up to me on their terms.
If it were not for my special relationship with Petie, I might not be where I am at this very moment in life, hopefully at the cusp of an exciting new chapter in my life as the Purina Cat Chow Correspondent.
And yes, three years later my heart still swells when I hear “mewrk” from the next room.
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