Peach greeted us as soon as we entered the door, furiously sniffing at my sneakers. Deciding he approved, he proceeded to spend the entire interview stealing my heart. Kasper Peach (that’s his full name) is a medium Maine Coon mix. He was born on June 8th, 2018. In his spare time, he likes to attack the shadows reflecting off of Lindsay’s reflective phone case. Lindsay, his mom, is a student currently attending the University of Utah. In her spare time, she likes to watch Peach attack the shadows reflecting off of her phone case. Here are a few of the things Peach did during the interview.
- Peach leaped into the sink for a swim while I was washing my hands.
- Peach started falling asleep as I was petting him.
- Peach repeatedly stuck his head into the trash can to look for treats. Unfortunately, the trash can is not where Lindsay keeps the treats.
I am a self-proclaimed dog person. That being said, meeting Peach might be the closest I have ever come to being a cat person. Wait, what? No, I didn’t type that. Not me. I don’t know how that sentence got there. Let’s move onto the article.
How did you and Peach come to be?
I had kind of a rough time this summer, and there was a lot going on, but I felt like it was the right time to invite a little friend. My boyfriend and I went around to a bunch of shelters around Salt Lake City, and it was actually kind of crazy because I had already found a kitten in a different shelter that I had decided I was going to adopt (sorry, peach!). The shelter told me that she had to be adopted with another kitten, but I couldn’t afford two cats. So, we kept going around to different shelters. We had gone to Best Friends Animal Society earlier in the day, but the employee had stepped out so we didn’t visit the kittens. We went back that night since I wanted to meet them. It’s sort of crazy because 10 minutes earlier they had brought in Peach, so he had just gotten there. And I felt really bad for him because all the kittens were there together, but he was in his own cage because he was quarantined.
Aww.
It was because Peach had feline leukemia, and he beat it. Which is crazy, because most kittens that get it don’t make it. We went into a little room and played with him. He was super shy and super timid. I liked it at first because I thought, “Well, okay, that means he’ll probably be calm and not as energetic.” Obviously, that’s changed because now he’s basically fearless. Long story, but that’s how I met Peach.
What is your favorite thing about Peach?
I don’t know if this is a good way to describe it, but Peach is very unique. I’ve never met a cat like him. I’ve met a lot of cats, but his qualities are so unique for a cat. He sniffs around all the time, which is bizarre because dogs are like that. He loves water.
That is weird.
It is weird! Whenever I give water in his water dish he sticks his paw in it. I don’t get it. He’s a very quirky cat, and I can tell him apart from other cats.
How has Peach changed you?
That’s a good question. I like to say I was responsible before, but when you take on a pet, that’s a whole other level of responsibility because they depend on you. I remember being so anxious when I first got him. I kitten-proofed everything in my apartment so that he would be safe. It instilled a sense of responsibility, knowing I was responsible for this little baby. Our relationship is entirely dependent on what I do to give him a good life. I think it’s made me more compassionate and I definitely want to get more cats.
Crazy cat lady?
Yes! I would love to be a crazy cat lady honestly. I love cats.
Are there any defining moments you’ve had with Peach?
As you know, my mom loves animals (Lindsay and I are good friends). I think that’s why I love them so much. My mom has this thing where if you adopt an animal, you should feel a connection with them. I wanted that. When we had our first interaction in that room, he was so small and so scared. He’d been through weeks of medical treatment at less than 2 months old. I remember sitting on the floor, watching him walk around and cower whenever he heard a sound. I was really hoping he would come to me, but he was staying away so I just stayed where I was. I was like, “If he approaches me, fine. If he doesn’t, that’s fine as well.”
[At this moment, Peach proceeds to leap onto a set of drawers, except he misses and lands on the floor. He looks at us to see if we noticed. We noticed.]
Peach, you’re so graceful. Anyway, he ended up approaching me and sitting on my lap after about 10 minutes, which was crazy because he was so shy and so scared. I was like, “He chose me!”. At that point, I couldn’t say no. It was too late! We bonded.
Huge thanks to Lindsay and Peach for making this article possible! Check out Lindsay’s photography here! You can keep up with Peach on his Instagram account at @kasperpeach.