My sophomore year of college, I had my heart set on getting a cat. Spice had been put to sleep a while ago before that, and I really missed having a cat in my life. I've always felt closer to our cats than I ever have to the dogs we've owned. I missed the days when Spice would hop into my lap every morning before school when I was on the computer.
I needed a cat.
At the time I started looking into it, I was living at Northgate Lakes with my three roommates. Animals weren't really allowed there, but I already had my gerbils, and I was considering getting a cat and hiding it in the apartment during the few months I had left there. My roommates were okay with it.
I spent hours and days just looking at cat websites and breed information. I would sit on YouTube and watch informational videos about different cat breeds. I would research the things involved with owning a cat or kitten. I decided I wanted a Ragdoll because of the breed's qualities. Less allergies, less shedding, rabbit-like fur, and very cuddly. Although I wanted a kitten originally, sooner or later I settled on getting an adult instead. I knew I wouldn't have the necessary time to give to raising a kitten while I was still attending classes.
At some point, it occurred to me that I seriously wanted to do this. This wasn't just one of the many things I dream and wish for but then back out on. This was going to happen. I wanted a cat, and I wasn't going to be happy without one.
When I first told my parents, they resisted. Of course. Told me I was crazy, that I didn't need a cat. That I should wait until I'm done with college and living on my own. For once in my life, I wasn't going to listen to them. I wasn't going to let them talk me out of it. I knew what I wanted, and I had every right to have it.
Although I did agree to wait on getting the cat until after I moved into an apartment that allowed pets, I followed through with what I wanted to do. After realizing I was serious about this, I delved further into various Ragdoll cattery sites. Looked up information on their cats, their personalities, and cat sale information.
After some time, I gathered the courage to email one of the catteries I was most interested in, to ask about the cats they had available. Sunny Shores Cattery. There was a particular female cat that I was interested in, and I asked if I could visit the cattery and meet her.
We arranged a meeting time, and I drove out there by myself. The woman who led the cattery was very nice. The cattery was run out of her house. It was a small house, and as soon as I opened the front door to come in, I was greeted by dozens of curious feline faces - all Ragdolls. I had never seen so many cats in one place in person before. So many sizes and colors and patterns. They were all so sweet and so cute and so friendly. From that moment of stepping in the front door, I fell in love with the Ragdoll breed. I had never known a cat to be so interested in greeting a stranger before.
As I wandered through the cattery, meeting many of the cats, I was directed to the bathroom, where a bundle of Ragdoll kittens were being kept. I was allowed to sit and observe them for a few minutes, and they were the cutest little balls of fluff. Eventually, I was introduced to the cat that I was interested in bringing home. I think her name was Sasha. She was a very beautiful cat. White with blue points. But when I went to hold and pet her, she growled and acted upset. The woman who ran the cattery said that she had just been spayed recently, and was in a bad mood from the surgery. I felt it was unfortunate that the timing wasn't right, but I was afraid to bring home a cat that wasn't going to end up working out. It took a lot of effort for me to decline taking that first cat home, after seeing how sweet the rest of the Ragdolls were. I was sure that Sasha could be sweet like that too, and I was afraid that I was making a mistake in letting her go to someone else.
Not long after the visit, the woman from Sunny Shores emailed me again, saying that she knew of another cattery that she would recommend. One that seemed to be relatively new, and that she knew well. I hadn't heard of the other cattery amongst my previous research, so I looked into it. It was a cattery called Excalibur Cats.
I emailed the owner of Excalibur Cats and asked about their available adults. She replied, telling me about two that were available - Peaches and Joy. They both seemed like possible options, so I again made an appointment to meet with the cats and see how it would go.
It was a farther drive, but I was excited. My hopes were high. Excalibur Cats was also run out of the woman's home, but she had far less cats there. Her house was also bigger and cleaner, leaving more room for the cats to hide away. There were still several of them running around everywhere, all over the floor and counters. A couple cat trees towered up to the ceiling. The owner, Amanda, greeted me and led me to the couch in the living room, where her husband sat watching Ghostbusters on TV. I was excited and nervous. Cats tumbled around on the floor, playing and resting. Several seal point kittens roamed the floor as well.
Amanda went to fetch Peaches, so that I could meet him. Peaches was a large male cat with red points. He was cute, but not entirely what I was looking for. When Amanda tried to place him near me so that I could pet him, he jumped into a basket to hide. I was unsure about it, and suddenly I worried that I wouldn't find the right cat here either. I thought that maybe I was setting my hopes too high. That I should be willing to settle for a cat, and that it would probably become more friendly if it got used to me.
Amanda couldn't get Peaches out of his hiding place, so instead she went to fetch Joy. She was a beautiful cat. White with blue points and mitted paws - exactly the color pattern I hoped for. Amanda brought Joy around to the couch where I sat, and bent to put Joy on the seat beside me.
Her paws barely met the couch fabric before she leapt into my lap.
And that was the very moment that she claimed me as hers.
Joy curled into my lap and didn't move away from me the entire time I was there. Ragdoll kittens played and rolled at my feet, and Joy would swat them away protectively, not wanting any other cat to have her place on my lap. I was hers. And as I pet her incredibly soft fur, and she purred away in my lap, I nearly burst into happy tears.
"This is everything I wanted in a cat."
This is the cat I was waiting for. This was the cat I was going to take home. This was the cat I had been longing and searching for. This was when I knew that it was no mistake that the other two cats I looked at were not meant for me. This was when I knew that I had done something right.
This was my cat.
I spent the rest of the time at the cattery getting acquainted with Joy. I learned she could play fetch. I watched her enjoy some catnip. I heard her first "meow."
It was almost painful to have to leave her there. But I had to wait until July, when I would be moving into a cat-friendly apartment.
I went back one more time before then to visit her. Part of me feared that she would be different this time. That maybe the first day was just a fluke. But she proved me wrong. Again, she loved to lay in my lap. She was the same beautiful, loving cat that I adored. I brought her a few special toys that I had picked out just for her at the pet store beforehand. A catnip mouse and one of the color puff ball toys. As it turned out, she loved those puff balls. She still does.
Again, it was very hard to have to leave Joy there at the house. But I knew that the next time I would see her, she would be coming home with me. Finally.
After I had moved into my new apartment, I arranged the meeting to finally purchase Joy. When I went to pick her up, I was extremely nervous. I tried not to show it. I knew I had doubts though. Fears that I was doing something wrong. That maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. That maybe she'd have trouble settling into living with me. She was moving out of a house full of cats into a quiet apartment with just me. What if she wasn't happy?
My worries drowned out my excitement that day, but I couldn't be more sure that this was what I wanted. That this was the right thing to do. I had brought my cat carrier, and by myself, I signed the papers and paid for my cat. Soon she was in the carrier, and we were on our way home. She was going home.
With hesitation and nervousness, I released Joy into my apartment. She walked around investigating and meowing a lot. I watched her, but gave her space.
I continued to worry that she wasn't happy with me for the first few weeks. She remained mostly distant, and complained a lot. For a long time she wouldn't even leave my bedroom.
As time went by, she gradually warmed up to me. She got more friendly. She never stopped meowing a lot, but I realized she wasn't unhappy. As long as she was okay, I was okay. Later on, she started sleeping closer toward my head. My heart felt like it could burst with happiness when I first felt her curl up in a purring ball of warmth at my side.
She makes me smile. She makes me laugh. She makes me feel loved. She gives me someone to love. She listens to me. She talks to me. She comforts me.
She is everything I ever wanted. I love her more than anything. And she is the best pet I've ever had.
And what makes it so much more special is that I met her on my own. She was not given to me. She didn't just wander into my life. I needed no one to hold my hand or tell me what to do. I sought her out, and I got what I wanted and more.
I felt empowered and independent for once in my life. I did what I set out to do, and I could not ask for a better reward. I only hope that I can make her half as happy as she makes me.