I didn’t go to the Humane Society expecting to leave with a cat.
My boyfriend and I had gone to the shelter just to look. We talked about getting a cat for his new apartment, but we hadn’t decided if it was a step worth taking yet. I have always loved animals, and the idea of adopting a kitten had always been on my mind, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to house an animal, so the idea shifted to my boyfriend. But he wasn’t completely convinced.
Then we met Beau.
Beau was a five-month-old kitten, and from the moment we saw him, there was something about him. He was silly yet cuddly. He had the kind of personality that made it impossible not to fall in love with him. Beau and I immediately clicked; my boyfriend would grab him and put him on his lap, and he would jump down and run to me. Still, after spending time with him, we left the shelter without making a decision.
We decided to run a few errands and think about it. Maybe we were getting caught up in the excitement and impulsivity. Maybe adopting a cat right now wasn’t the right decision. Maybe we just needed some time away from the shelter to figure out how we actually felt. But neither of us could stop thinking about Beau.
About 30 minutes before the shelter closed, we looked at each other and decided to go back. We told ourselves we just wanted to see him one more time. My boyfriend still wasn’t sure. I mean, it’s a big decision to own a cat; not only do you have to pay for the animal, but you have to buy food, litter, a litter box, toys, treats — the list goes on. Then he asked to hold Beau one more time.
The second Beau was in his arms again, everything changed. Beau melted into him, completely comfortable, and looked up at my boyfriend with the sweetest eyes. Then, as if he knew what he was doing, Beau tilted his head up and licked him right on the nose. That was it. We looked at each other and knew there was no more debating it or pushing it off to tomorrow; Beau could be gone then. We grabbed the shelter worker and said, “We want him.”
A few minutes later, Beau was officially “ours.”
I think the funniest part is that we went to the Humane Society thinking we were just going to look. We had no plan, and definitely no expectation that a five-month-old kitten would change our minds in a matter of minutes. But that’s what I love about adopting: sometimes you don’t find the pet you were looking for, but they become exactly the pet you needed.
