Daily Zey

I might be one to have my battles with social media, but it gave me one thing that makes all those doom scrolling worth it: my cat Mısır, and this is the story of how we met. Also, if you are looking for adoption, there is a list for cat parents towards the end so stay tuned.

My eyes lingered on the orange one a second longer than it normally would. Yes, it was adorable but also something else was there. Well, anyhow my mother was not a big fan of cats – or let’s just say loves them from a distance, so I scrolled away – only to find myself going back to that post a few seconds later.

The person that shared the picture of cats was a high school acquaintance whom I haven’t seen for 9-10 years. Maybe it would be awkward but regardless, I found myself asking for information. At the same time I was hinting my family that I saw a heart melting kitten in my friend’s story, and it would be optimistic to say they were lenient. Still, I scheduled a meet up and my friend brought the cat.

He seemed like he weighted 10 grams, way too small and looking a bit silly. Apparently he was a handful before I got there. As I was there, he came closer, sniffed me a little bit then fell asleep on my lap. The innocence and the trust caught me blindsided.

That was all it took. At that point I knew I had no choice but to bring him home. I couldn’t bare the thought of leaving him – even if I was guaranteed he would find another home, I think I would be against it. I wanted to name him, he had stripes and the cuteness aggression would take over and makes you want to bite him, so I named him Mısır (Turkish name).

I had no idea how to take care of a kitten, or to bring him home, what to buy etc. First thing I did was to find closes pet shop and built some started pack.

If you are in a similar situation here is a small list of what to buy before you get your kitten home:

1. Litter and litter box: I was lucky that Mısır was already potty trained by his mother but if you are adopting new born, you might need some floor pads as well.
2. Kitten food: Kittens digestion and daily nutritional needs are way different than adult or senior cats so you need to buy food that is specially made for kittens.
3. Carrier bag: It’s important your kitten feels safe, so a comfortable carrier bag is important. I suggest you buy the highest quality you can afford, it goes for a long time and you don’t need to go through adjusting period when you switch it.

Once I gathered all these, I went back to get Mısır. There was one minor detail I forgot though, it was how to get back home with a little kitten, 3 kg of food, a large litter box and the heavy litter package in it. My phone rang and it was as if stars were aligned in our favor, one of my close friends was in the area and asked to grab some coffee. I said “Do you want to meet someone?”

So just like that, we were home. When I close my eyes I can still see everyone’s faces when they opened the door. It was not like me to go rouge with such an important decision but I was so sure, unlike anything before, that I wanted to take care of him. He had an effect like that on people.

Soon, I mean literally the same day, that effect was already changing our home’s atmosphere. He win over everyone’s heart, and had a special relationship, routines and communication with each of us. One thing that caught me by surprise was how every single detail about him effected me, both good and bad. When he was ill, I would wake up multiple times during night to make sure he is breathing fine, and that he didn’t develop a fever. Every vet visit I would be more anxious than him. Each time he learns a new trick or we find a new game, I would be giggling loudly, regressing to a little kid with him.

Before him, people talking about being cat/dog parents would sound peculiar to me. Only after him I found out that once you love with all your heart and take the mission to make sure they are healthy, happy, and okay, the topics you talk about are pretty similar to that of a parent. So in a way, you actually become one.

Even though the relationship is similar to a parent-child, if you look close enough you can see our pet friends take immense care of us too. He would come check on me when I’m ill, or lay on my legs for hours when I don’t feel like getting out of bed. When I’m out late, he would wait for me, as I’d figure out from his sleepy eyes.

So if you are trying to decide whether to adopt or not, let this be a sign for you. If you genuinely believe you can take good and consistent care of a pet, and love in unconditionally, do it. At the end of the day you earn a lifelong friend that you’ll cherish your moments together forever – and maybe save their life in the process. I never once doubted my decision that day, and I feel grateful everyday that he is with us.

Just like the song says:

And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You’re gonna see, it’s our destiny
You’ve got a friend in me

With love,