The month was May, and the year was 2008. I don’t recall exactly what I was doing, but I vaguely remember I was outside my moms house as it was a beautifully sunny day. My mom had been gone for the majority of the morning singing at a wedding, and when I saw her car pull into the driveway I smiled and waved as I normally would, having no idea what was about to come next.
My mom opened her car door, and nestled above her forearm was a tiny black kitten with ears twice the size of his head. I was confused as to who this tiny kitty belonged to, and the moment my mom said she brought this small bat like fur ball home for me I immediately panicked. I was not prepared for another cat (we already had one at the time), and I can’t believe that for a brief moment in time I did not want this small black cat that would later become my best friend.
Thank goodness my intrusive thoughts didn’t win.
Although I was taken aback by this new arrival, I quickly got over my initial anxiety of another cat and welcomed him to the family. He immediately fit in, and was an absolute menace from day one. I couldn’t have asked for a better cat. Fast forward many years, many ailments, and many memories later – my sweet, spunky, spicy kitty has officially made it to the age of sixteen.
We assume he was around 8 weeks when he came home with my mom in May of 2008 (he was one of many kittens roaming the property at the wedding she was singing at), meaning he was likely born sometime in March of 2008. Last year we decided we would celebrate his birthday in April to meet somewhere in the middle. This year we celebrated again, and will continue to do so for as long as he decides to bless me with his presence. I adore cats, I live for cats, but I never saw myself as someone who would regularly celebrate a cats birthday.
But now, I can never look back.
We chose the first Sunday in April to celebrate, and I bought cupcakes and coffee for my family. For Little I bought fish flakes and a party collar, while Duncan bought him a new whale toy and a catnip filled log thing. Truthfully nothing compares to the cigar Duncan bought him last year, but these are a close second.
We decided before sitting down to eat and sing HBD we would take Little on a birthday drive.
After we drove around it was time to put on the party collar and indulge in some tasty treats. My local cupcake shop does an amazing GF cupcake (the same place I get the brownies from in my previous post), and let’s be real – any excuse for a cupcake is a good excuse. I can blame this on my cat all day long, but really I just needed a cupcake.
I’ve thankfully been back on track with Little and his diet to ensure he is no longer getting constipated (if you’re confused by this comment, see my last post), so I plopped a can of his wet food onto a plate and smothered it with fish flakes before sticking a candle in the top. I sent a photo of this cat “cake” to one of my friends and she said at first glance she thought it was apple pie.
I’m sure he wishes it was.
I can’t help but laugh looking at these photos, I am fully aware of how ridiculous I am in wanting to celebrate a cat. However, after the last few years of ups and downs we have had – every single day I have with him is a blessing. I will continue to celebrate his added years as if they were collectable figurines worth hundreds of dollars with zero shame.
Some people have human children, and some people have cat children. I’ll let you guess which person I am.
Happy sweet sixteen my Little, I am so thankful you were brought to me all those years ago with your tiny head and big ears. You are my best pal, and I love you more than all the cupcakes in the world.
Q: Have you ever had a birthday celebration for a pet? Would you?