My Cat

I waved good-bye then looked at the small gray animal in my arms. It, my brother and I were stuck in the house together for a week, which meant that I was taking care of it. During that week, he quickly adopted me. If I was out of sight, he would meow and cry until I called him and he could find me. He fell asleep in my arms while I was typing essays. He tried to take a shower with me. He climbed me to see what I was doing. He became my shadow. He slept at the foot of my bed and ate from the opposite side of my cereal bowl. We played hide-n-seek and snuck up around corners on each other. I fought the neighbour's cat on his behalf. We won. He was my cat.

When I came home at thanksgiving, he started purring when he saw me. We played like we had always played. He was still my cat.

Then I came home at Christmas. (Granted I brought another kitten with me) He had grown and was no longer a kitten. Having fully passed his one year, he had turned into a full male cat. He's muscular and has a temper. Now when I go near him, he snarls and waves his paw. When I pick him up, I can feel my back protest. He runs away from me instead of towards me. He barely acknowledges my presence.

And I want to scream, it's because of me, you made it past the kitten stage, but in reality, part of me cries inside.