Dear Watson,
When my dad finally told me I could get a cat after years of asking, I was ecstatic. I thought all of my childhood dreams of luxurious, long-haired, flat-faced, beautiful felines were about to come to fruition. You didn’t end up being a clone of Crookshanks from Harry Potter like I had imagined, but you did end up being better suited for me than I could have hoped.
A picture of Watson the day I met him– missing hair, underweight, and super cross-eyed.
While I was walking around the Humane Society, I peered into cages looking for a cat to visit with. The staff was trying to steer me toward a lovely, young, indoor/outdoor calico, but it didn’t feel quite right. Then I stumbled upon a two level cage with, compared to the other cats, a massive siamese mix in it. There you were. Your missing fur, pathetic crossed eyes, age (you were already twelve when I met you), and skinny body in contrast to your big frame, all drew me in immediately. I knew you needed someone, and I wanted it to be me.
When the employee put you in my lap, she told me to hold on tight so you didn’t scurry out the door when she left the playroom, but I didn’t need to. As soon as you were placed in my lap, you burrowed as close to me as you could get. The second you did that, I knew you were the one. I looked up at my step-mom and brother, and after a few brief minutes, we were all in agreement.
He’s really pretty, I know.
The staff were surprised– twelve year old, grouchy looking cats do not typically get adopted quickly, if at all, and you had only been available for a little over a week. None of your physical or behavioral attributes (you needed to be the only pet in the house, for example), screamed “likely adoption” to anyone. But then again, love at first sight isn’t something we can predict (*sigh*).
We were able to take you home the next day, and you hid on the fourth shelf of the bathroom closet off and on for over two weeks. I would patiently wait for you to creep out and explore. When you would sleep on my lap, I was embarrassingly happy– the feeling of you snuggling into me was everything I had wanted when thinking about finally owning a cat.
Since we brought you home over a year and a half ago, you have been a grumpy spot of sunshine in my life. When you squirm in my arms, run into my room when it’s raining, or when you start meowing (loudly) becasue you think it’s time to eat, I am always so thankful that you were there waiting for me at the Humane Society when I walked in that day.
So, Watson, thanks for being my “thunder-buddy,” my cuddle companion, Snapchat star, my homework distractor (when you sit on my laptop as I’m typing it makes it hard to continue) Instagram model, and more. You are my absolute favorite thing on four legs.
Love,
Your annoying, over-attached owner