Popular wisdom holds that cats are, by and large, indifferent to the existence of the humans around them. Sally, my brown tabby, is an exception to this rule: We have a species-transcending, next-level mega-connection, and we understand each other with startling clarity. If I say, “Sally, could you come over here for a sec?” in a completely normal, not-at-all coaxing tone, she comes to me immediately.
Usually, I don’t even have to call her—she follows me around the house and is extraordinarily affectionate, which is especially unexpected from a cat like her, who spent a large part of her life on the street.I met Sally seven years ago, when she was a stray who had just had three kittens under my grandmother’s patio. My grandmother is somehow totally immune to all feline charms and wanted Sally and her brood gone posthaste, so my mom and I—noted cat ladies both—had been recruited to deal with this adorable infestation. When we arrived at the house, this adorable scruffy adult cat walked right up to us, meowed a cordial hello, and led us directly to the humble home she’d made for herself and her babies, whom she let us pick up and pet. She trusted us immediately, it seemed. I’m not sure if that was because people in the neighborhood had been feeding her and making her comfortable with human contact, or if my mom and I just gave off a palpable “I don’t want to hurt you, I simply want to snuggle, wuggle, wuggle your little face” vibe, but her trust was flattering.
We gathered up all the cats with the intention of finding homes for the young’uns and getting “the mom,” as we called her, spayed ASAP. After that, who knew what would happen to her? Would she go to a shelter? Would any family friends want to take on a full-grown stray cat who, though impossibly amiable, was covered with grime, missing several teeth, sour-smelling, and possible sick?
I thought she was sweet, but I wasn’t considering keeping her, especially because I had my eye on one of the kittens. I did, however, give her a name—Sally is also the name of the female alien on 3rd Rock from the Sun, which I’d been watching a lot of at the time.After a week, two of the kittens were placed in loving homes, and I’d decided to keep the third kitten. But the question remained: What about Sally? My mom took Sally to the veterinarian, who discovered she had a hernia and an infection (presumably the cause of that sour smell). The vet said it was obvious that Sally had led a rough life, and had probably been subsisting for a long time on a diet of birds and scraps from the garbage.
The first, very unsentimental reason for my decision to keep Sally was that the total vet bill—which included shots, hernia repair surgery, spaying, and antibiotics—was about $350. It seemed pretty outrageous to spend that kind of money and then just be like, “OK, peace out, kitteh!”
The second, perhaps more noble, reason was that I felt a deep sense of responsibility for her. When I imagined what her “rough life” must have been like (dodging cars and dogs, scrounging for food, late-night rumbles in the streets with the cat gang from the other side of town), I knew it was my personal duty to give her a new life in which she would always feel safe, happy, and loved.Over the years, my bond with Sally has grown so intense that I can’t believe I ever considered giving her away. Our friendship has a lot of the typical features of a human–cat relationship: She sleeps while I clean her litter box, refill her food and water bowls, and take infinity-million pictures of her with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, something that I can only imagine she does because she knows how adorable it looks.
But there’s also a great cultural exchange that happens between us. I’ve introduced her to Seinfeld, which we sometimes watch together before bed, and she’s introduced me to the joys of lying around on stacks of loose paper—an invigoratingly defiant act that challenges the outmoded human convention of not lying on loose paper.See? Doesn’t this look rad? Sally’s always at my side, when I’m at home, and when we’re not together, I sincerely miss her. If I’m lying on my bed, she plops down beside me and rests her head on my leg or stomach.
About two years ago, Sally developed a severe infection in one of her eyes that caused it to swell and water, and she wedged herself up next to me so that I could hold her. This was during a brief period when I’d stopped allowing her to sleep in my room because she’d acquired this irritating habit of waking me up in the middle of the night by loudly scratching the carpet, which I’m fairly certain she thought was hilarious. But when she looked up at me that day with that sad, runny eye and then rested her head on my thigh, my heart got all melty.
I’m always looking for signs that my animals are as into me as I am into them (I’m not ashamed to admit that I often google “How can you tell if your cat loves you?”). In that moment, though, whatever affection Sally might have for me was really tangible.
Now, of course, she sleeps in my room whenever she likes, and I just tolerate her late-night shenanigans to the best of my ability.My boyfriend maintains that Sally somehow intentionally contracted the infection as part of a cunning scheme to garner sympathy and elevate her status among the other cats in the house (we have a few, but none that I feel as connected to as Sally). Whether she’s scamming me or she genuinely loves me, I’ve never had a cat cling to me the way Sally does, which makes me feel an even greater obligation to protect her.
There is no way of knowing exactly how old Sally is. Her vet estimated that she was four or five when we found her all those years ago, which means she’s quite elderly today—probably about 12, which is supposedly like 64 in human years. But she’s healthy now, save for a cloudy eye (a remnant of that infection), and I strive to make sure she’s happy, provided for, and able to watch as many episodes of Seinfeld as she wants.There’s something really powerful about the bond that you have with a pet that was once a stray. It feels almost fated. I wasn’t looking for Sally, she wasn’t looking for me—we just sort of found each other. When I look at her, I see destiny made manifest. I was always supposed to be Sally’s human, and she was always supposed to be my cat. ♦
34 Comments
amber, you two are adorable, especially in pic no. 5. <3 cat ladies unite!
This made me cry, and I don’t even LIKE cats, overall (though I’m sure I’d make an exception if I met Sally).
This is too cute for words! I loved what you wrote about the bond between the two of you. Human/animal bonds are the best. This story reminds me of the cat my parents had for 20 years – her name was Alex and she was a stray, too.
I have an incredible bond with my parrot. She’s a really intelligent bird, and spends a lot of her time hanging out on my shoulder and talking to me in her own parrot language.
Rookie should totally do a reader pet photo gallery.
(sorry for the long comment but I love talking about pets)
Aw, this is a cute idea! What is your parrot’s name?
she’s India, the indian ring neck parrot :)
That last picture was everything.
Love!
So sweet! Here’s the real secret cat people know: Sally isn’t the exception, cats just have a bad rap! Every cat I’ve had has been loving and very attached to me, following me around and wanting cuddles. Cats being aloof is a myth :)
my cat, cassie, was a stray hanging around my grandmother’s house as well. she had teeth missing + some nerve damage, & at first she kept her distance, but now she sleeps on my bed/me every night & lays in my lap whenever i watch tv. she also gets territorial when the other cats try to get close to me, & when i’m not at home, she curls up into a ball in a chair in the living room all day. she has recently been waking me up in the wee hours of the morning crawling across the pile of magazines i have next to my bed, initially attempting to get into the window, but just ending up sitting on everything she hasn’t already knocked onto the floor & staring at me uncomprehendingly as i blearily scramble to get her to move. cats are beautiful, obstinate creatures, much like elves, but i love them
So sweet! <3
You should see somes pretty pictures of a japanese grandmother and her cat. It’s really heartmelting ! :3
P.S: i hope you understand my frenglisch! ^^'
Almost cried. This was so sweet <3
omg i cried, this is so so sweet!!
Naww, this was adorable! I have a cat who likes to think he’s the king of bitchfacing and aloof waifishness, but he’s actually a big softie, which sucks for me because he gives me allergies whenever i hug him :'(
I love this so much. I almost cried. The love you can have for an animal can be so strong it seems like it doesn’t even make sense sometimes!!
amber, this is SO SWEET. sally is such a cute little thing and that last picture is so adorable. my maine coon (named cat) was also a stray and my mom and i were planning on adopting her out, but now we don’t know how we ever got along without her.
This story really warmed my heart. I’m a total cat lady and I feel like (even though this sounds cheesy) that my cat will always be there for me no matter what. Sally seems like a wonderful cat in a home that is perfect for her. :)
Awwwwwwwww. I have a really strong bond with my cat Lavender and we do everything together, it reminds me of you guys. The only thing is that she doesn’t believe that I should pay attention to anything but her–my computer, books, sleeping….
That last pic! Sally looks so much like my cat who I had a similar relationship to and who died of old age a few years ago :'(
I totally love this and your story is rlly cute
*heart eyes emoji + sobbing emoji*
this is just adorable
Cuteness overload! <3
This was beautiful :’) Bless you for taking her in and looking after her!
this is legit the same bond i have with my cat, i got her when i was seven and i am her human and she is my cat.
she sleeps with me and wakes me up a two in the morning by scratching on the carpet by my door.
i cried when she had to have a tooth taken out and when she snuggled beside me while off her little kitty face on anesthesia. now she has a little gap that she gets her lip caught in and its the most adorable thing ever.
cat and human bonds are the best
This was perfection! Sally is so pretty!
I love this! I love my cat :)
Amber!!! You and Sally are so cute! I love the story of how you bonded. This made my morning!
This was so endearing to read and feels very similar to the relationship I have with my cat.
Reading this made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. Also thank you for writing something nice about cats again. People are mean about them but they are the best
I honestly love this so much, and can definitely relate in terms of my own cat Pickle, who is getting old now too poor bb. It might sound weird but he actually helped me so much with depression and anxiety, cats are good medicine I guess! <3
ALSO the last photo is so beautiful, it should be on a book cover or in a museum or something!
xox
not even a little bit ashamed to say i cried while reading this. my cat passed away a couple of weeks ago, and he was in my family before i was even born. sally and amber are the cutest though!
this is the sweetest thing!
That was the sweetest article I’ve ever read on here. I wish my cat loved me like Sally loves you. Hope you two are doing well
<3
My cat turned 7 today, and I was reflecting on how he means the world to me and I remembered how I read this article a few days ago, and I burst out into tears again. I feel like cats can have such a profound connection with humans, and I know for sure that my cat is my best friend in the world, just as your’s is with you!
This is so cute! :) Much love <3
It's amazing the bond that you share with Sally.
It makes me wish I had a cat of my own.
I think cats are fascinating creatures who are secretly from another dimension. I read somewhere that cats can see things that humans can't and I half believe that! I think they secretly can talk to humans.
I used to be friends with my neighbour's cat, Meow. He was really nice and gentle and adorable and let me carry him when I had established a relationship with him.
But his eye got bitten by a dog and his owner took him back to his home far away :( So now I can't see him anymore and I'm really sad.
I was so mischievous and I'm embarrassed to admit that I kidnapped him home!
But yup cats are cool.
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