Beauty Is Only Fur Deep

It is a well-known fact that a woman who has bought her first home must, by necessity, have a cat to keep it cozy. I really didn’t WANT a cat — I was kind of like some of the jerks in the stories here, the ones who want “fancy cats” — but when my coworkers learned I had my own home, I started getting emails and phone calls about kittens galore.

Then, one of my coworkers approaches me about a situation he is in. He has an apartment and can’t have a pet, but he is currently hiding his cousin’s cat because she has developed an allergy to the poor animal due to pregnancy.

Coworker: “The cat is well behaved, cuddly, eleven years old and…”

He pauses as if trying to think of what to say.

Coworker: “…she’s cute.”

I agree to go meet the cat and I bring along a friend who is a cat person. I imagine the cat, like every other cat she has ever met, will run right for HER. 

Well, my colleague ushers us into his home and introduces us to the ugliest little animal I have ever seen. She is swaybacked, her belly swings from side to side, her fur is matted and dusty, and she is a bunch of strange colors that I now know to be “tortoiseshell.” My heart sinks when I see her. She looks like a fat, fur-legged spider with many issues.

But we are polite and sit down on the sofa to chat. About five minutes into our conversation, the cat wanders over to the sofa, climbs up onto my lap, stretches herself up so her paws are on my shoulders, and leans in to kiss my nose. Then, she blinks at me.

I look over at my colleague.

Me: “I cannot take her home tonight, but if you can gather her stuff, I’ll be by tomorrow night for her. She’s just the most beautiful little girl.”

The Best Cat In The World and I were together for seven years before she finally passed from kidney disease. She was the most beautiful, friendliest pet I ever had. And she cured me of my desire for anything particularly “fancy.” From here on, I just want a friend when I go looking for a cat.

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for October 2020!

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Read the Feel Good roundup for October 2020!