The Story of a Sweet Little Kitty

In March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. There was a lot leading up to that diagnosis, as any cancer survivor knows. I had a biopsy on March 26th in the morning and by 7:00 that evening, the radiologist called to let me know that, indeed, I do have cancer.

It was a warm and clear night and my husband Greg, and I were sitting outside on the back porch. I was scared and nervous, and I had to tell him that I have cancer. That was a horrible moment for both of us. Those are words no one wants to say or hear. We were on the back porch quietly sitting, letting the news sink in, when a gray little fuzzball decided to come up on the deck. We had never seen this pretty kitten before. She was shy, but I put some food and water out for her. She sniffed around for a while and before I knew it, she was up on my lap. I felt a sense of comfort and love that helped ease my anxiety.

I believe that God brought her to us that night. He knew that I needed comforting, and He gave us a precious little fuzzy kitten. I love cats, but Greg is allergic to them, so we agreed that perhaps she can be an outdoor cat. Since we were in a pandemic, I was blessed to work from home. Every morning that cute little face would be at our back door, and I would go sit on the deck to work. She was always around, my constant companion during a very stressful time. Kitty and I had bonded.

I had to wait 3 months before I could have surgery because the hospitals had cancelled all ‘elective’ surgeries. When you have cancer, surgery is not elective. Those were very stress filled months with cancer and covid going around. Kitty brought me much comfort and joy.

As I said earlier, Greg is allergic to cats, but he knew I wanted kitty to come into the house, so he decided to get allergy shots. He got big husband points for that!

Many studies have shown that pets can help improve our health and quality of life in many ways. According to the National Institute of Health, “Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood” Read the entire article here - https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets

We have had her for two and a half years and we still call her Kitty. We have mulled over many different names for her, but nothing fits. So, we will just call her Kitty and she doesn’t seem to mind.

Now, our sweet little girl is living her best life. Kitty is very vocal and Greg chuckles when I talk to her and she “Meows” in reply. She hunts and makes sure that our house and yard are mouse free. A couple of weeks ago, she brought a chipmunk into the house and before that, she brought in a baby rabbit. I guess she just wanted to show off her hunting skills & play.

I love easing into each day with my special “lap time” with Kitty. I get up early each morning and she will jump up in my lap as I drink my morning coffee. She still makes me happy each time I see her, Kitty has really been a blessing to us.

Let me know if you have a pet that makes your life better in some way?