Jayda Week 8: A New Addition to the Family

  As many people may already know, I have been wanting a cat for a very long time, and finally got one recently. Contrary to the negative generalization about the pet, she is quite social around people and loves attention. Since having her, I have learned various things about owning an animal other than a dog, which I have had throughout my entire life. 

    One of the most unsurprising things I have learned is that the stereotypes about cats and dogs not getting along are beyond true. In the few weeks I have had a cat, there have been many failed attempts to introduce her to my dog, Maggie, as every time my mom and I try to allow the two pets to get acclimated to each other, our newest addition to the family, Stella, tries to slap Maggie across her furry face, which results in lots of barking, growling, and hissing. When unsupervised, the two pets stay in different parts of my house; however, they still manage to paw at each other from under the doors. While I value each pet equally and would love nothing more than for them to get along, they simply seem incapable of doing so.

    In addition to not getting along with dogs, I have also learned that cat fur gets quite literally everywhere. The majority of my wardrobe consists of black clothing, which means that her white cat fur is, without a doubt, incredibly visible when it gets on my clothes. 

Stella has also been able to remind me to be a little more carefree. While Maggie, a dog with not a care in the world, also reminds me to be carefree, Stella shows me that I do not need to exert all of my energy on the people around me. Stella is admirably unbothered by the people around her and simply enjoys their presence. 

    Although I have had to sacrifice wearing my usual amount of dark clothing and endure the occasional cat scratch, thus far, having a cat has positively impacted my day-to-day life, and I am happy to have a new addition to my family. Do you have a pet?