People assume having a cat makes you crazy, but they couldn’t be more wrong – says the one who has a cat.
How I met Ohana
I was 28 years old, a bachelorette and trying to get by like everyone else. The typical, what am I doing with my life phase.
My apartment was tiny. Almost too small for one person. In the complex, everyone knew everyone’s business, whose cat was whose and where the naughty kids stayed.
I had probably lived there for 6 months and noticed Ohana walking around one day. I presumed she belonged to one of the new neighbours.
As days passed, I noticed Ohana looking a little worse off each time.
One very rainy evening, my neighbours heard a continuous and distressed meow. They went outside and found a very drenched, bad conditioned cat crying under their car. So they took her in, gave her a warm bed, food and water.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep her long term because they already had two cats and asked if I would be willing to adopt her. My initial concern was that it would be cruel for her to live in an upstairs apartment with very controlled and limited freedom.
The next evening, Ohana and the other two kitties popped by my place for a visit.
A little while later, the two brothers left, but Ohana stayed. I sat down next to her and immediately knew my independent bachelorette life was over.
She needed a lot of love, care, and a few vet trips. My heart shattered when I picked her up and only felt skin and bones.
From that moment we were family and I named her, Ohana.
Our Journey
After adopting Ohana, I couldn’t help but wonder if someone wasn’t missing her. Not really wanting to, I phoned vets in the area and searched through social media Lost and Found pages to see if she belonged to another family. Thankfully no one ever did. Their loss was my gain.
Emotionally and physically, Ohana’s rehabilitation did take a bit of time. She was (and sometimes still is) a bit of a nervous wreck. It took a few months for her to fully trust me. She was petrified of anything that resembled a stick (broom, brush, vacuum etc.) and would run to hide with her tail between her legs. I always thought that maybe she got herself lost for a reason. In general, Ohana and I hangout quite a bit. As long as I’m home, she’s never far away – a little shadow.
Ohana is Miss Personality and a Lady of Leisure (as a friend describes her). She makes it clear when she’s upset and will overwhelm you with love when she’s in a good mood. She’s the boss in our house. We belong to her. She’s a furry little blessing in disguise and I’m so glad she found me.