In a previous article, I talked about how I lost my cat at the beginning of quarantine. He was my best friend and I loved him more than anything in this world. Well, I still love him more than anything and I always will. When he died, a piece of me died along with him, a piece that I know I will never get back. The following months were the loneliest I’ve spent. I had my family, but they all had their own cats that would come sleep with them. Coming home without Marshmallow being there to sleep on my feet broke my heart. I was depressed for a really long time.
So of course, I started doing some research. I felt alone, so I started looking at kittens to adopt at the Camarillo shelter. I wasn’t ready for a new cat just yet, but I wanted to keep my eyes peeled in case I saw one I felt a connection with. Because of COVID, I could only look at pictures, not meet the cats in person, so I didn’t think I would actually have a connection with one. Until one day, I saw a little grey and white kitten that looked like he was wearing a mask, just like my baby.
I contacted the shelter and they gave me a call almost immediately. The kitten was available the next day for me to pick up if I wanted him. I knew I did. Deep inside me, I knew that this little masked baby was supposed to be mine. I didn’t tell my family what I was doing, because I knew that they weren’t ready for a new cat, but I wanted something for me and I knew that Marshmallow would want me to be happy and to go on with my life. I would never forget Marshmallow; he was the literal love of my life. But I was ready to meet my next love.
While my parents weren’t thrilled that I brought another cat home without their permission, they quickly fell in love with my new kitten, who I named Dobby after the house elf in Harry Potter. Dobby is all arms, legs, and ears, which made him look so much like the Dobby from the movies. Our other cats even fell in love with him too, especially our other young cat, who got extremely depressed after Marshmallow passed. It seemed like Dobby was the perfect fit.
And don’t get me wrong, he is the perfect fit and my heart is so overwhelmed with the love I feel for him. But he’s crazy. I titled this article Catzilla because that is literally what he is. Dobby is a tiny terror. He never stops eating and is getting so fat, so quick. He tears up all of the toilet paper in the house if we accidentally leave the bathroom doors open. He has stolen all of the other cats’ toys and hidden them places we still can’t find. He gets into all of the trash cans and makes huge messes.
This cat also has the most energy I have ever seen in a cat. From about 5 am until noon and then again from 4 pm to 10 pm, he runs around. It sounds like a herd of elephants running through the house. He torments the other cats, runs into walls, launches himself at stuff. I have walked into a room with him chasing his tail in circles at lightning speed more times than I can count. Anytime anyone opens the door to the backyard, he makes a beeline for it and has almost gotten out so many times. He tries to eat my jewelry, my hair ties, my makeup, everything.
But, all of this aside, Dobby is the sweetest boy. He is a cuddly thing, always trying to get closer to me. This includes a lot of aggressive headbutting straight into my nose. He is always purring, and he follows me around the house the way that Marshmallow used to. He can tell when I’m upset and one time when I was crying, he cheered me up by trying to eat my tears. He loves meeting new people and is always so friendly and playful. I love him so much and it’s only been a few months. I adopted him when he was 10 weeks old and now, he is almost 7 months. He is growing like crazy, even though I told him he has to stay small.
I’ve always said this, and I will forever say it, adopt. Don’t shop. We’ve adopted a total of 3 cats in my lifetime and they have all been the sweetest. We shopped for one, and she is very shy. We love her so much, but she isn’t as friendly as the adopted or rescued cats. Adopting has always felt like the right thing to do since a lot of shelters are kill shelters and it gives these animals the chance to live a better life. I recommend that everyone adopts because having a companion is one of the best things.
I will forever miss and love my Marshmallow. He was the best cat I’ve ever had, and losing him after growing up with him was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. But Dobby has become my new love. They both hold such special places in my heart, something that no one will ever take from me.