After 2.5 hours of labor (aka sitting in the adoption agency) I’m a mom… again.
But before I tell you about THIS pet, I guess I should mention what happened to the last one.
In 2018, I became the Mother of a beautiful baby girl named Lucy.
Well, her real name was Grizabella, but who was really about to call her that? Anywho, Lucy (aka Grizabella) was 7 months old and full of life. We didn’t have much space in my studio apartment at the time but we made it work - for as long as we could. Lucy was cute, small, and looked just like our old family cat Lucky (may he rest in peace).
The only problem? She was bad AF.
Lucy (aka Grizabella) was the most hyper cat I’ve ever interacted with.
She would jump on counters…
Climb on windows…
Get stuck in said windows (wish I had a picture of that), jump on me while I was sleeping…
And blatantly not listen to anything Mommy had to say.
I really tried to make it work and was excited about it in the beginning! But the last straw was when she would consistently wake me up out of my sleep! Every morning around 3AM, it was like clockwork. And I was going into work groggy because of it.
I know you may be thinking, “why not just keep her in the other room?” Well I was in a studio apartment, so there was no other room!
Except the bathroom/walk-in closet. So when times got hard…
I’d put her in there, and here’s what the little terrorizer did:
After what felt like month (it had only been 11 days) I started to question if we were a good match? And 3 destroyed makeup sponges later, I decided we were not.
Thankfully the place I got her from had a 14 day return policy, so it was perfect timing for a “return-to-sender.”
Now granted, I’m no monster! So I did question if I would really send an adopted kitten back to its shelter…
Long story short, hell yeah I would! And I did!
Next thing you know, Lucy (aka Grizabella) was back at the shelter, and I was back in Petco returning all of the pet toys I had gotten her, (run me my money).
My family and friends called me everything from crazy to impatient but they didn’t understand! Plus it was taking her too long to adjust so I figured it would be best for us to go our separate ways…
Fast forward to 2021
I moved to a place with multiple rooms (Watch Welcome to my Crib for a tour of my new spot), the pandemic started, and I decide to be single… again (don’t ask). After all that and some, I got to thinking about being a pet parent again…
I told a few people and I’m sure you can imagine the feedback I received…
I heard everything from “again????” to “now you know what happened with the last one.”
And rightfully so! I got rid of my last cat so fast nobody in my family even got to meet her. So to say they were surprised was an understatement.
But this time was different…
I’m older now. Twenty-eight to be exact, and I see that in order to gain patience (which I admittedly don’t have much of) I have to develop it.
And not to mention I had been in the house (due to the pandemic) for months, so it was way over due for something new and exciting. And what better than a new pet?
No, not a dog. Because I don’t want to be responsible for when you use the bathroom. And no, not a fish, because they’re boring. And nothing too foreign like a ferret, because they’re ugly.
So a cat it is!
But this time around, I was aiming for the opposite of Lucy (aka Grizzabella). This time I wanted:
A chill cat: one that wasn’t always in the streets but enjoyed simple more intimate settings (just like me).
A selective cat: one that wasn’t always in somebody’s face and wasn’t thirsty to know everyone in the room (definitely like me).
And an adult cat: one who had a good life but was ready to settle down (kinda sorta like me).
So I did my research and found a place that I hoped would have my precious child…
Harmony House for Cats
Harmony House for Cats is located on the north side of Chicago, had great reviews on Google, and the adoption process seemed simple enough.
I scheduled my appointment and was excited to give pet parenthood another go! This time around I was going into it differently though: more mature, more wise! And like most new things, I started the process by saying my favorite prayer: “God if it’s meant to be let it happen, and if not, allow me to let it go.”
I walk into the facility and it’s huge! There were big cats, small cats, kittens, and old-timers. As the volunteer takes me into this one particular room, she lets me know that it included a few “bullies.”
Who turned out to be easy to spot. There were these three fat, mean-looking cats on the far side of the room and the lady confirmed that they were indeed the culprits.
But then on the other side there was this pretty, brown, black, and white cat in the corner, who was under a step stool minding her business. The volunteer described her as sweet, chill, and not a fan of those bullies.
I instantly felt for this cat because I don’t like bullies either, and dealt with 1, 2, or 10 back in my high school days.
The cat’s name? Lucille.
Ironic, right? Because the official nickname for Lucille is “Lucy” so I instantly thought, let me find out this is the real Lucy?
Lucille let me rub her, she purred nonstop, and even licked me a few times (after googling I read that’s a good thing).
But then the volunteer told me how even though Lucille was 3 years old, she was considered “special needs” and needed to take meds everyday.
Now granted, this may have been a deal breaker for some, but in my “I want a chill cat anyway” mindset, I figured a “special needs” cat would be super chill, so I didn’t mind.
I wanted to take her home with me that day, but because she had special needs I had to have a follow-up visit with the owner…
Watch more of my #MomLife Stories on Instagram
I left the facility excited and called any one who would listen! Saying things like:
“Hey! Let me tell you about my baby! She’s three years old, chill, and doesn’t like bullies - just like me.”
And naturally, because I have a history of being a failed pet mom everyone had questions like…
Jalyssa are you sure you want to do this? Remember what happened with the last one…
What’s the personality of this cat? Cause you know how you can be!
How long has she been at the shelter for? What happened to the last owner?
Is she neutered?
But this was expected. Because I was excited about the last cat too, and gave her back 12 days later (11.5 to be exact).
However, Lucille was neutered, her personality seemed chill, and the volunteer said she’d been there for 3 months because her owners were moving and the new place didn’t accept cats.
Seemed simple enough.
But here’s the real tea…
So I come back for my second appointment and this time I was meeting with the head honcho of the facility. She’d been there 30+ years, was full of cat tattoos, and seemed to live and breathe all things feline.
She explained that Lucille was actually 9 years old, not 3. And that her owner was an older woman who passed away.
Now initially I was 9???? But again, this was helping because I wanted a chill cat who would sleep all day anyway, so I didn’t mind.
One thing she did have to go over with me though, in detail, was how to give Lucille her medicine. I was told I needed to hold her head with one hand and force the pill in her mouth with the other...
Not happening. So I decided to crush it up and put it in her food instead.
I signed a couple papers, received a fully-stocked goody bag, and next thing you know me and my baby were on our way home!
How’s she doing?
Lucille (aka Lucy) has adjusted to her new home right away! Night one she walked around, got aquatinted early on, and seemed to be happy. There was a limited amount of furniture scratching and we spent the first few days getting to know each other. We even started watching a new show together (which she always falls asleep on).
Now by week 2 she started to show her ass: crying and scratching at the door when I wouldn’t let her in and peeing on my freshly washed rug - (if you watch my stories on Instagram then you know how pissed I was about that) no pun intended.
But overall, she’s a good girl! And this time around I really want to make it work.
I’ve got my social media cat community giving me tips (and showing her lots of love)…
And enough room so if we get sick of each other we can get some space!
In conclusion, I’m looking forward to being a mom… again!
So follow along as I try to conquer this thing called motherhood! I cannot, I repeat, cannot! And will not! Give back another pet. I’m looking forward to learning my new baby, developing some much needed patience, and documenting it all along the way.
And if you’re reading this, congrats! You’re officially one of Lucy’s Aunties or Uncles! And if you have a pet, put a pic in the comments so Lucy can meet her cousins!
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More importantly, send me advice, links to pet toys, and cat memes! (I love cat memes).
And let’s navigate through this thing called Pet Parenthood, together.
Wish us luck! Peace.
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