As we celebrate National Pet Month, we share a story that highlights just how much cats bring to our lives…
We’re celebrating National Pet Month! We’ve got loads of great content to share, as well as loads of fun including competitions exclusive to Your Cat. You can enter here!
The theme of the first week of National Pet Month is companionship — celebrating how much pets bring to our lives. Here, we share a story which captures just how much cats make the most incredible companions. Your Cat fan Haseena Patel tells how bringing a cat into her life wasn’t what she expected, but has been the most life-enhancing experience…
I have always dreamt of having a cuddly little cat who would snuggle up next to me and follow me everywhere. We see that on social media all the time — furry little mini beasts, every bit as besotted with their owners as their owners are with them.
Then I brought my little feline home — an irresistible ball of fur, absolutely gorgeous. A mini wrecking ball who scratched through sofas and doors but melted all our hearts. As he snuggled up next to me under my duvet on the first night, I dreamt that this was a love story in the making. However, as he grew older and gained his freedom, my fairytale began to unravel.
My Mieko is now over five years old. I have since learned that cats are more temperamental than a teenager. I love him unconditionally — even when he brings me little gifts of squirming mice at ungodly hours. I love him enough to allow him to stretch diagonally across my bed, leaving me just enough space to slide in. I know that he is laughing at me, sniggering that I have the tiniest space on my own bed.
Despite all this, I know that he loves me. He is always waiting for me when I get home, ready with a head bump and a purr. When I am ill or unhappy, he is always at my side — and I can hear him reassuring me that everything will be OK. My fur baby may not be the cuddliest of cats. He is too lazy to perform any tricks. He sometimes ignores me. But he loves me and I am blessed to be his keeper.
He shows the greatest of kindness to stray cats, often meowing at me when they are outside, alerting me that they are hungry. I have also caught him sneakily lifting up his microchipped cat flap to allow strays in when they are hungry or if the weather is bad outside.
My Mieko has taught me unconditional love as only a child can. He has shown me that kindness is prevalent among all creatures great and small, and we humans are not the only creatures with feelings and personalities. Hence, we should never give up on a cat or any other pet based on our expectations of them.
To get involved in #NationalPetMonth – April 1-May 1, follow NPM social channels and share your pet stories on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn or Instagram @nationalpetmonth
You can send National Pet Month a 30 second video of you and your pet, telling us what you love about being a pet owner using the #PetPawsitivity hashtag.
Don’t forget to enter our exclusive giveaways to celebrate National Pet Month!