Cassie Cat and Marly Mew

 

Here's a picture my friend made for me!

Ever since I was born, I loved animals. I loved seeing and playing with my grandparents’ old dog, seeing animals to pet at birthday parties or day camp, especially pigs and rabbits and I loved going to the zoo or farms. 

When I was little my favourite animals were fish, from my love of Finding Nemo, to having different pet fish, seeing my nanny’s pet fish and seeing them in different tanks at the pet store or aquariums, but as time went on, my favourite animals became cats. From cuddling the cat puppet my uncle gave me, my dad showing me pictures of the cats he and his brother had as kids, looking for neighbour’s cats, and/or spending time with them, playing with stuffed cats and seeing them at the pet store. Even before the stories I’m about to tell, my love of cats got stronger as I got older, from hanging with friends’ cats, one time visiting these two kittens my friend’s sister was fostering, following Instagram accounts revolving around cats, like Chicago Black Cat, this couple and their toddler daughter have a black cat named Mikita, a Maine Coone named Dahlia, and a leopard cat named Ravi, they also foster cats sometimes, caring for them until they find a home, and an account called Evee and Yoshi, where this woman takes videos of her two fluffy ragdoll cats who can do tricks, like Evee can stand up tall, and Yoshi can spin. I even love to go to a cat café down Stratford, where you can get coffee or a drink and hang out with the cats that live there, some are residents and some are fosters, waiting for someone to take them home, it’s a great place and it does a fantastic job giving their fosters their forever homes.

Now onto the stories.

When I was a kid, I always wanted a kitty at the time but my mom was allergic to cats so it wasn’t possible, until one day….

 

Cassie

On October 22 2010, after school (it happened to be picture day), my dad came to me and my brother and showed us a picture of a calico cat named Cassie. She was two and a half years old, she was abandoned twice and she had kittens before, whom all got adopted. He told us that he was thinking about adopting her. At first, I wasn’t so sure. Now, don’t take this the wrong way, I did always want a cat, I was a bit unsure and I was not looking forward to the day we’d have to say goodbye, (having seen Marley and Me, it might’ve made me so sad to the point that I couldn’t stand it), but after a bit of convincing, I agreed. My dad took me and my brother out for pizza, then we drove to an animal shelter at Richmond Hill called Puff N Purr, we met some nice people there and then we saw her, Cassie, she was so sweet. We asked some questions about her, and then it was time. We put her in the carrier and drove home. It was quite the drive, she was meowing a lot and once we got home, we let her out and explore her new home. The next day we got her some things, like some toys and a collar for her, even though she was an indoor cat.

Also, in case you’re wondering, my mom was able to take allergy pills, to the point where she’d be able to spend time with and pet Cassie without hurting her eyes or triggering her allergies.

Cassie was very shy at first, being in a new environment, she hid under my parents’ bed, it was not easy to get her to come out, but after a few days, she slowly came out and started to warm up to us. She would sit next to us, we’d give her a lot of pets, so we could hear her purr, she would meow if she wanted her food, she would rub our legs and sleep on our beds too! Cassie was such a joy, I remember whenever she would come to me whenever I was doing homework, sitting or laying on my bed or just hanging around. I remember when my tutor would come to help, she would join us because she probably could sense he was a cat lover. I remember leaving a cup of water and she would drink it. I also loved whenever I would hear her purr, especially when I would brush her, one of the best sounds in the world is the sound of a cat purring. She could also be a great nurse too whenever any of us were sick. I once came home from school, and my dad was home sick, he told me, “I have my nurse here with me. At first, I thought he was talking about a real nurse, but then when I came into his room, she was lying on the bed with him, it was so sweet. I remember one time I caught some stomach flu, my dad came home to check on me and clean up the bathroom, (trust me you wouldn’t have wanted to see that) and make me dinner (which I dearly appreciate), the best thing he did, was bring Cassie to his bedroom, (so I could watch TV or a movie while staying in bed) so she could take care of me. She left for a bit but she did come back later, and was a great comfort for me when sick, along with my soft buddies. My parents also told me, she was a great patient, whenever she had her checkups at the vet, she didn’t squirm or wiggle, and she didn’t flinch when she got her shots. She was a very chubby girl, so she wasn’t quite as active, but she could still be very playful, from the cat tickler, playing with balls, batting me or others for fun and sometimes playing with catnip toys, I remember when wrapping gifts that involved a catnip toy for a friend’s cat, I remember Cassie smelling it and rubbing her face on the gift. She was also very sweet to everyone, whenever some friends of ours from Kingston would come to see us, the twin boys would sit with her and pet her, she was very sweet towards them, and they loved her. They are cat lovers too, I remember whenever I would see them, I would pet their late cat, he was such a sweet and affectionate boy, he was one of the things that made me love and hope for a cat one day. Cassie also loved sitting with any other visitors that came to our house too, she was definitely a people cat. She could also love blankets, one Christmas my mom got a new blanket and only 2 seconds had she gotten it out, Cassie immediately made her biscuits and claimed it to be hers, I remember when I found my baby blanket I put it on my bed and while I was away, Cassie had been resting on it. She was the best blanket lover and biscuit maker. 

One thing about her was that, Cassie wasn’t very good with other cats, I remember reading something like that on her story or profile before we adopted her. I remember when my grandparents found a stray kitten, and they adopted her. I named her Peaches. One time we went to see them and brought Cassie along with us, once she saw Peaches, she hissed at her and it had me nervous, but that wasn’t the end of it. Whenever we left her at my grandparents’ place, whenever we went away, we were told that Cassie and Peaches had gotten into fights, so going forward, whenever we went away, we left her at home while a neighbour or friend would come to feed her. There was also this one cat in the neighbourhood that used to come by the window, and every time Cassie would see the kitty, she would hiss at it. I remember one time I opened the door and the kitty instantly ran into the house, I shrieked because I knew this wouldn’t go well, it would be a literal hissy fit. I didn’t see the fight but thankfully, my parents got the cat out quickly, that was quite a moment. I also remember whenever I remembered that she was abandoned twice, I would watch videos about animals on the streets or pets being abandoned, they had me in tears, and I went to Cassie, I hugged her and petted her and assured her that I would never abandon her, ever! I even did the same thing to her whenever I watched Bolt and got to the scene where Mittens reveals she was abandoned. I’ve had some great times with Cassie for sure.

Here are some of my favourite pictures of her.

Sadly, after eight and a half years with her, this would soon come to an end, like every adventure with pets. One day, in the middle of April 2019, I was getting ready to go to my weekly blow-dry, I went to say goodbye to her, and I noticed she didn’t look well, I petted her and she didn’t purr and she was frothing at the mouth. I thought maybe she would feel better when I came back, but she didn’t. I was so worried, thankfully my dad was working at home, so I told him, after a while, he came downstairs to take her to the vet, once they drove away, I felt worried and sad, she had never been sick when we had her. I found one of her blankets and decided to bring it to her. Once I got to the vet, my dad let me sit with her too, we were both crying as we petter her because we had a feeling it wasn’t good. Once the vet called us in, he and his assistants examined her and told us that she was constipated and dehydrated and she lost a lot of weight and they suspected it might’ve been a kidney issue, they would give us results in a few days. After that, my family and I stayed with her and took as much care of her as we could. After a few days, my dad told me it was a kidney problem, he said that the vets could give her surgery, so a week after we saw she was sick, we took her to the vet and the surgery went great, and she stayed there for a few days. When she finally came home, I was so happy to see her, but had a feeling and did get told by my parents who might’ve been told by the vet that while it would be okay for now, it wouldn’t last in the long run (think about what the vet said, in Marley and Me, the first time the pooch got sick.), it had me nervous, I knew it would happen soon, but not this soon. The next week, I spent most of my time with her, I let her eat chicken, petted her and danced with her (I was watching Flushed Away and What’s New Pussycat played in the credits, I love dancing to it with my cats). On Friday that week, my dad told me Cassie was sick again and the vets said, it would either be today or tomorrow that we would have to put her down. I spent a lot of the night petting her and kissing her, just loving her, so I would have one more day with her. Here are the last pictures I took of her.

Then, on Saturday morning, we went to the vet and we saw Cassie, she did not look well at all. We petted her, kissed her, I gave her my baby blanket, and we said our goodbyes. There were some tears from my family, it was so heartbreaking seeing her get an injection and seeing her lifeless, this is why I could never be a vet. It was especially sad, seeing dad walk home with the empty carrier, and for a while, it was sad to come home and not see her come to greet us, or hear her meow and purr. We were a family of four before we adopted her but once you have a pet it feels so natural, so not having a cat for a few months felt so different.

However, after we put her down, my dad told me we would adopt a new kitty when the summer was over, then in September, we got a new cat to love

Marly Mew

During the summer, we went on the website for the cat organisation, “Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue” (the same organization we got Cassie from) to look for kitties to adopt, we wanted one that was no more than two. There were so many kitties to choose from, so we picked our top 3 choices and the number one was a little tuxedo kitten named, Marly. They said she was a vocal and affectionate girl, and while she was still a kitten, she would prefer to be an only cat. Near the end of August I was having lunch with a friend and told her about our possible cat, but when I went to show Marly, I didn’t see her picture, I thought maybe she had been adopted. However, at the beginning of September, my dad told me we had been chosen to adopt her. The next day, on Labour Day, we went to the pet store, he signed the papers, while I went to play with the cats in the cage, before then, I used to occasionally come to the pet store, bringing cat ticklers to play with them. After some time, a woman came in with a small kitten, there was Marly. She was a bit wet (I think her foster mother gave her a bath before they came) and she was very scared. After we spoke to her foster mother about the kitty, it was finally time to take her home. The car ride was quieter than the ride with Cassie, she was hiding under the blanket but it was still exciting. Once we arrived she explored her new digs, but she was very shy. She hid in my mom’s closet, I remember the next day, I couldn’t find her, I was so worried, once we called for help, she came out of the closet. She was scared and I might’ve scared her even more by looking for her, she must’ve hidden deeper into the closet. It took about a week, but she soon warmed up to us. Heck, during her first week with us, she caught some mice we had in the house and she brought them to me, (at one point she couldn’t wake me up to present her gift, so she put it on the bed and then woke me, don’t worry, I cleaned the area afterwards). She was a lot like the adoption organization described her, like her being vocal, she meowed a lot, to the point where my dad would call her, Marly Mew and that nickname stuck and she could be very affectionate, sometimes when I hold my hand out for her, she stands on her hind legs and rubs it. She is a bit different than Cassie, she’s feistier and more active and she’s not really a people kitty, she can get shy around people that aren’t me, my parents or my brother, (I remember they day after my mom died, her friends came to visit and my little mew hid upstairs for a long time) and she is a bit more mischievous, she always tries to get some meat for herself whenever we would eat chicken or salmon, however even with those differences, they just make her more lovable and she is a sweet kitty. I mentioned her catching mice, (one mouse was a bit more feisty, it hid every time she tried to hunt, it took her two days for it to meet it’s end from her) but she can also fight bugs, whenever flies would invade our house she would swat at them, weakening them, enough for me to spray or squish them, I like to call her, my little hunter. She is also such a sweet girl, sometimes she would rest her body on my lap, once she took a nap on my arm, and some times when I would wake up, I would find her sleeping on my bed, either at my feet or close to me, that sometimes reminds me of when Cassie used to sleep with me. I also remember during the quarantine holidays we had, whenever we had turkey dinners, I would give her just one piece and then she would beg me for more, whenever I ordered Swiss Chalet, she would have her eyes on the chicken until I would give her some pieces, I would have to be careful not to leave my plate of chicken alone, because she would try to get it, I still love whenever I would eat my chicken and share the pieces with her, I even let her lick my fingers. I earlier mentioned how vocal she is, it is just so cute, sometimes it can be a bit annoying, but it’s still adorable. She also is a great purrer, when we first got her, she didn’t purr as much as Cassie did, but as time went on, she got more and more purry. She purrs when we hang out with her, when I’m feeding her, when my dad gives her temptations treats, or when I pet or brush her fur, especially when I give her belly rubs, she loves them. It’s also funny when she gets feisty, one time I took a picture of her toe beans, only for her to swat at me and the phone/camera. It was actually a live photo, I turned it into a video and I showed it to my friends and they laughed. She also could be silly with water, sometimes I’d find her in the bathtub, and sometimes if I ran water in or if I was in the bath, she would splash the water and get her paws wet. Like Cassie, Marly can also be a great nurse, she hung with me when I was recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery, when I felt tired and had a headache after I got my second Covid Vaccine, and she rested on my chest after I slipped and hurt my knee, she and Cassie are the best nurses I’ve ever known, along with a dear friend of mine. I also love whenever she gets crazy over catnip, one time I was going to give her a gift for her first gotcha day, I had to put catnip in the toy, unfortunately Marly came over and she kept trying to get the toy, it was so hard for me to stop her, so when I was wrapping Christmas presents, I had to keep her out of my room until I was done wrapping her gift. I just can’t help but laugh whenever she rub against a gift with a catnip toy wrapped, when I would hold a pickle catnip toy, she would rub her face and get literally pickled and whenever she would see a toy, she would rub her face on it, and roll all around and be as high as a kite, it’s just too cute.  Plus whenever I do facetime or zoom calls with friends, a lot of times Marly would join in, and they would be charmed by her. She also can be jealous whenever I watch videos of cats or whenever I go to visit my dad’s friend’s kitten, but I try to make sure that she knows that I may love other kitties she is my favourite one, forever and always.

Here are some more pictures of my little girl

I’ve had Marly Mew for almost 5 years now, and I’m so happy she’s in our lives. She can be a handful, but she’s so fun to be around. I love both of my cats very much; they have different personalities but they are all the more lovable for it.

Before I go, I would like to ask you all to please support your local animal shelter, humane society and rescue organizations, volunteer or donate to them, whether it’s money, pet food, toys or blankets, (every Christmas I like to donate blankets to the Humane Society, whether, it’s my old blankets, or soft ones from the dollar store to keep them warm in the cold weather, my high school did that too). If you can commit to these responsibilities, and be loyal, please adopt a pet, especially a rescue pet, you can give them a second chance in life, and if you are unable to care for them, for whatever reason, please do not abandon them or leave them out in the streets, it just breaks my heart when innocent animals are out in the street, helpless, hungry and alone, either take them to a no kill shelter, or find someone that would love them, let’s keep pets safe and give them a home they’ll remember forever.

Thanks for reading, give your cats or dogs lots of love, pets, attention and always show them that you love them!

If any of you readers have any pets, feel free to comment about them, tell your stories about them, and what you love about them.