rainbow bridge | Author Jennifer N. Adams

Today’s Daily Prompt, Menagerie, is all about pets. Do you have them and if not, why?

I’m about 4 years old in this picture, holding our dog named Buffy.

I remember having pets growing up, mostly dogs. It was just a part of life to have one, if not two dogs or cats in the household.

When I got out of the Navy, I decided civilian life was dull, that it was missing something. I went to the local animal shelter, asked to see the ones they were about to put down, and adopted myself a cat. Actually, she adopted me.

I must have held fifteen of them, all adults, both male and female. All of them were cute and cuddly, making my choice to pick just one very hard. Then I held an adult female Maine Coon. She didn’t mew or purr, even after I talked calmly to her for a few minutes. I scratched her head for a few seconds longer and she leaned up and licked me twice on my chin. It was in that moment I decided she was coming home with me.

She was in such a sad state that I had no choice but to have her shaved. Her coat was just mangled in knots that I was afraid brushing her would be painful, not for me, but for her. When I brought her home, she hid under the bed or on top of the fridge. I sat out cans of tuna, which won her trust. She lived almost six years after I adopted her before she passed away from old age. She became my lap cat, purring endlessly and always gave me kitty kisses on my hand or arm, whichever was closest to her. Such an amazing, lovable furbaby.

Miss Kitty (on the left) and Lucky Boy (on the right).

I did adopt one more cat a year after I got her. He was a stray kitten, running around the streets, barely a few months old. Sadly, one day, after he was over a year old, he got out of the house when I wasn’t home and I was never able to find him after that.

I miss both of my cats and having owned pets of my own, can attest on how they become your children. You tend to them; feed them, groom them, bath them, give them attention, love them. Animals are a part of your family. Mine had their own Christmas stockings and their own wrapped presents. They were my babies and when they were gone, I mourned them.

I currently don’t own any pets due to my living situation, but in the next few years, I’m hoping to change that.

Lately, on facebook, I’ve been seeing people posting pictures of their furbabies and saying that they’ve recently crossed over the rainbow bridge. Just last Friday my sister, Jaci, said her last good-byes to her sweet furbaby, Mittens. She was 16 and such a sweet, lovable cat. I know that each time I visited, Mittens would come over to me, snuggle in my lap, and turn up her purrbox. How could you not fall in love with that?

My daughter had become close with Mittens as well and always gave her a gentle pet and a kiss before turning around and chasing the other, much younger cats in the house. There was something about Mittens that made my daughter be more gentle, lovable, and caring when she was around her. Maybe animals and autistic children have a secret way of communicating. However, I found it sweet and beautiful each time I saw them together.

Animals aren’t just pets, they’re family. I’ve had a couple of my own while I was living out on my own and can tell you that losing them was the hardest thing I had to endure, well, losing my grandpa a few years ago was actually the most hardest thing I’ve ever endured. Losing both of my cats was the second hardest.

Hugs to all of you who have lost your best friend, your furbaby!