I never thought that I, a typical Virgo known for my meticulousness and sometimes picky nature, would become so deeply attached to my furry companions. But now, I truly feel like a mother to them, and I’m more than willing to do everything I can to give them the best life within my means. Before I started raising them, I had planned to be rather casual about it. I thought, “Chinese rural cats are so sturdy, and it should be fine to raise them in a simple way.” I even said that they weren’t allowed in the bedroom and that the balcony was spacious enough for them to play. However, when my first cat came home, it was just after the heating had stopped and the temperature dropped. I couldn’t bear to leave it out in the cold. The moment it let out a cry, my heart ached, and right from the first day, it entered the bedroom.
In the beginning, my cat had a rather “unique” way of waking me up. Every day at around 1:30, 2:30, or 3:30 in the morning, it would lick me awake at irregular intervals. Or if I accidentally bumped into it while turning over in my sleep, it would immediately get up and want to play with me. I was always puzzled by how it could switch so effortlessly between a sleepy and an awake state.
But something unexpected happened after my cat received its third vaccine shot. It seemed to have transformed into a different cat. It no longer licked me awake at night. When it woke up, it would go to the bay window on its own, and even when I opened the curtains, it wouldn’t come to me. I started to worry. Was it that it didn’t like me anymore? Or was it sick? Suddenly, I found myself missing the days when it was so clingy to me.
During my workdays, whenever I had a moment of free time, I would wonder what my cat was doing at home. I truly believe that my “young master” (my first cat) is the most handsome cat in the world. My phone is filled with countless photos of it, and when I want to post something on my WeChat Moments, I can never decide which photo to choose because they are all so adorable.
I still remember how pitifully it cried on the way home when I first brought it back. I had prepared a room specifically for it before it arrived, but in reality, it hardly ever stayed there. Looking at its cute sleeping posture, I felt a strong sense of being needed. After getting vaccinated, it became listless, and at other times, it was quite good at causing trouble and making a mess. When I was preparing for an exam, it would be unusually well-behaved, and everyone said that the photos of it looked like professional portraits.
I had always wanted to find a companion for my cat, and it all seemed to be a matter of fate. One day, while strolling through the night market, I saw a tiny kitten. I asked about it and was told that it was only over a month old. I wondered if it had been weaned yet, and the seller said it had. When I asked what it ate, the seller replied, “Rice soaked in vegetable soup.” I also asked if it knew how to use a litter box, and the seller didn’t even know what a litter box was. Feeling sorry for this poor little thing, I decided to bring it home.
Just like every other day, when I opened the door, my “young master” rushed towards me. But when it saw that I was bringing another cat home, it completely freaked out. Its fur stood on end, and I finally got to witness firsthand how a cat hisses at others, something I had only seen in pictures before.
Since I wasn’t sure where the little kitten came from, I kept it isolated at home. It was too young to receive vaccines. At first, it was very timid and didn’t eat or drink for a whole day. But in less than a week, its sleeping posture became extremely relaxed, and its appetite was astonishing.
The first time the two cats played together was a memorable moment. Due to the comparison and perhaps my own shallowness, I found it difficult to treat them equally because of their different “backgrounds.” I felt that the little kitten wasn’t as sensible as my “young master,” not as clean, and didn’t have as good a temper. After all, my “young master” had never urinated or defecated outside the litter box, while the little kitten often did it both in the litter box and on the floor. When the little kitten ate, the big cat would wait patiently without disturbing, but when the big cat ate, the little kitten would always cause trouble. However, I couldn’t bear to give the little kitten away. After all, it didn’t have its mother to teach it properly, and it was really too young. Once, I found a wet spot in the cat bed. At first, I thought it was the little kitten drooling while sleeping, but later I discovered that it had stuck its head and entire body through the gaps to lick the cat bed, perhaps trying to find the feeling of drinking milk with its siblings. It was really pitiful.
I sincerely hope that as they grow up, both of my furry babies will become better and better, and that our days together will be filled with more love and warmth.
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