The very first article I ever wrote upon joining Her Campus was about my orange tabby, Sabo. It was an animal/pet theme week, and I was excited to share the things I’ve experienced with him. At the time, I only had him for a few months, so I was still very green as a pet owner. Now, it’s been nearly two years, and I can’t imagine my life without him. I want to take a moment to appreciate the little things about Sabo that I absolutely adore.
His Meow
Okay, okay, I know that all cats meow and they sound cute. But I feel like Sabo has a unique meow. All of the cats that I’d heard before had sweet, tiny little meows. Sabo, on the other hand, meows loudly. And it’s not even a “Meow.” It’s more like a “Mrrrowww” or even a “Mowow.” When he wants attention, it sounds like a little whimper: “Ohhmmm.” He could be an opera singer; he has quite the vocal range! I love his loud and weird meows; my heart swells in size when I hear him.
His Nose
Who doesn’t love those tiny little pink snouts? Cats are very curious animals and just have to stick their noses into everything – and I do mean that literally. Sabo is no exception. Every time I lift him up, when there’s food in the air, or when there’s some foreign object he’s never seen before, he’s up there immediately with his nostrils flared. What I find funny is that every time I shower, he sniffs me very thoroughly, like he’s trying to smell through the shampoo to make sure that it’s still me. I just love watching that little nose of his sniffing everything in sight.
His Loaf
To those who are not cat people or do not own cats, you must be wondering, what is a loaf? Well, I’m definitely not talking about a loaf of bread. A loaf is a sitting position that cats take – their arms and legs are tucked underneath them and then they just… sit there like that. Sabo’s loafs are very impressive, often quite perfect! No arms and legs in sight, just sitting there looking like a delicious loaf of bread. And he will loaf anywhere, and I do mean everywhere. If we have a package from Amazon, we won’t be opening it anytime soon because he’s on there, loafing away. He’ll even loaf on my mom’s slippers! I’m not sure how that’s comfortable for him, but hey, who am I to judge? I’m not a cat. However, when he’s not loafing, he’s… sitting very weirdly. His legs would be out in front of him, and his front paws would be on either side of him or between his legs. It’s like he’s trying to sit like humans.
His Nibbles
We all know that cats bite. That’s nothing new. It’s how they play or defend themselves should they feel threatened. But something about their bites; they don’t always hurt. When they want to show you affection, they’ll nibble you gently on the hand and fingers. Sabo does this to me so much and it makes me melt. They’re like little kisses. Sometimes, he will bite hard, but will immediately lick where he bit. It’s like he’s making sure that I’m okay! They’re love bites!
His Adventures
Last year, my family and I agreed that Sabo was an outdoor cat. He loves playing outside and visiting our neighbours. But before we accepted him as an outdoor cat, he had some hectic adventures inside our house. We even found him in the ceiling once! There was this vent that we could never close in our bathroom, and we were worried that Sabo would go in there. So we kept the bathroom door closed all the time. But one day, he happened to sneak in there and wandered through the vent. For ten minutes, my family and I were looking for him. Eventually, we heard him meow. So, my brother and I went to the basement and into the laundry room. We looked around and couldn’t find him. Another meow. We looked up to see his head poking out of the ceiling through some boards. I’d never laughed so hard. He was fine! He’s just very mischievous.
I love absolutely everything about my little ball of fluff. When you find the cat for you and care for them like family, they become a part of you. You will love them, laugh at them, cry for them – everything. The cat becomes your baby. And Sabo became mine the moment I looked at him.