I have always been a dog person. They are friendly, warm and become such a part of your family. The experiences I had with cats up until my adulthood were very lackluster. I associated having a cat with them barely paying attention to you, hiding all the time and being fickle. My parents weren’t into cats, so we never had one, and I was fine with that.
That all changed when I got to college and was able to meet some of the sweetest cats ever! I had realized that I was not just a dog person, but that cats can be equally as loving.
My roommates and I started chatting about getting a cat casually, a plan I thought we would never follow through with. To my delight, after some chats with our parents and some debate amongst the roomies, we decided to get a cat.
My roommate Ruby decided that she would be in primary care of our new furry friend. She showed Kaitlyn (my other roommate) and I a picture of Clementine, then named Can Can, on the Richmond SPCA’s website. All of our hearts instantly melted! We decided to then make plans to go to the SPCA and meet Can Can and any other kitties that we felt a connection with.
We met many cats that day, all pretty adorable and sweet, but none of them felt like “the one.” After an hour or so, Ruby, Kaitlyn and I finally met our future cat. We entered a tiny room and waited. After a bit, we heard a knock on the door and was greeted by the SPCA worker and a tiny black cat that was two but looked like a kitten. The tiny cat meowed over and over again loudly and it was the cutest thing I’d heard. She was shy at first but quickly warmed up and loved being pet. We went back to get her the next day.
She meowed in her cardboard carrier all the way home, and when she got to our apartment, she quickly scampered under her new mama Ruby’s bed. She stayed that way for a while, looking out from under it, seemingly wanting to explore but too nervous and reluctant to. We reached our hands under the bed where she accepted pets and purred.
On day two, she had begun exploring Ruby’s room. She would peer out of Ruby’s door and look at the common space, a new big world that she was excited to investigate–– at her pace, of course.
Half-way through the week, Clementine began exploring our bathrooms and bedrooms, but vehemently avoided the living room and still spent most of her time in Ruby’s room. She was resistant to eating food and she wasn’t the talkative girl we first met.
Slowly but surely, Clementine began exploring all around our apartment and gaining confidence. At the one week mark, Clementine opened up to her auntie Sydney and we had our first little sleepover in my bed! She began weaving in and out of all the rooms in the apartment.
Clementine is now the chattiest, friendliest, GREEDIEST cat I know. She will meow until she gets pets or food, walks on our laptops when we are trying to do homework, and follows us all around.
It’s hard to believe that I was at one point one of those people who aren’t that into cats. Clementine Joan the cat continues to improve my quality of life every day. She makes me feel loved and appreciated. When I’m feeling upset I can now stroke this little black cat and her fluffy fur, incessant meows, purrs, and caresses will calm me down.
Wanna keep up to date with this adorable kitty? You should! Follow her on Instagram @clementine_joan
Photos Taken by Author