Happiness: Kitties et al

So, either you’re a cat person, or you're not, but if you are, you might be keen to read this post, or at least relate to it. If you don’t like kitties, try replacing the word kitty, cat, puss etc, with whatever animal of pet nature you prefer. Because as much as I am a kitty person, I am an all-round animal person and I believe any animal you call a pet, that you cherish and love to have around is a primary source of happiness.

Let me tell you a story about a kitty I acquired 12 years ago, called Sideshow Luke Perry.

“Are you really going to call him Sideshow Luke Perry?” I recall my sister-in-law asking my husband on the phone. Er, yes. For two reasons: 1) it isn’t by any means a common name, so kitty won’t get mistaken for another with the same name (“Fluffy, come get some Go Cat! No, not you, the other Fluffy.” vs “Sideshow Luke Perry, come get some Go Cat! Ah, there you are.”); and 2) I can’t do anything without there being a hint of whimsy. For those unfamiliar with the name, it is taken from the cameo appearance of Luke Perry in an episode of the Simpsons. Not complacent enough with just calling him Luke Perry, his role as Krusty the Klown’s replacement Sideshow required him to do some, I guess you would call it, “method acting”.

That’s the name sorted, but what about the kitty itself. I had never had a pet of my own where I had to go and pick it up and choose for myself. When I was younger, pets ranged from: my mother’s budgie, to a bunch of goldfish and the adoption of the abandoned neighbour cat, who was of an antisocial disposition. I didn’t know where to start, so naturally my first port of call was the internet. It seemed a bit wrong to be browsing for the desired kitty on Gumtree etc, but it is surely just the modern-day equivalent of a newsagent window postcard? At least choosing a kitty from a farm would have probably been the best option in hindsight, but alas, I went for the (unbeknownst to me at the time) part-time-breeder-for-a-2nd-income lady, who had a house full of cats and dogs, and just 2 adorable white and ginger tabbies left over. Husband and I held one each and despite being offered both, I had to resist and collectively we had to choose just one. Mine was a bit fidgety, his less so, and with that he chose. Remember that: HE chose!

So, it seemed the kitty - Sideshow Luke Perry, who we would inevitably refer to as just Sideshow - had little experience in the way of a car journey, but provided a certain handiness in the way of a speedometer (constantly squeaking each time daddy would go above 50!). We get him home to our flat and husband decides to head out for some more provisions, whilst I initiate Sideshow into his new surroundings. He peeked himself slowly out of his kitty box, to the awaiting kitty food and milk (the milk of which he never touched, ever), ignored the magnificent, luxury boudoir I had constructed for him out of a cardboard box, a cushion and some stickers, and when I briefly left the living room to fetch him some water, upon my return he had … vanished. That’s right, the first few minutes of arriving at his new home and I had managed to lose him in just a cornered of section of the living room. At first I figured he’d just hidden himself behind an obvious obstruction, but after a good few minutes and no more potential hiding places that I could think of, I went into a full blown panic attack thinking the kitty had somehow miraculously managed to jump over the half meter tall piece of cardboard sectioning off his “playpen“, raced to the front door and dangled himself off the door handle to release it and scurry out of the building to set himself free.

Then it came to me: our Ikea DVD standing shelves did have a small gap behind at the bottom - I wonder. What do you know, having pulled the shelves away from the wall slightly, there was Sideshow’s little furry bum quivering in darkness.

Eventually he came out of his shell and accomplished such wonderful traits as climbing, jumping and running amok. Let’s not forget, husband chose this one ; )

Little did I know his favourite toy (even to this day) would be a soft cuddly toy bear we acquired for free, which at first would shed all over a deep red rug of ours, then become unrecognisable due to many a slobbering sessions and ferocious hugs/molestation (by Sideshow that is!).

Over the months, looking after that little guy provided a great amount of wellbeing. He was something to focus on, very cute and playful, if a little scratchy, meowy and what some might say, a bit backwards - not unlike his mother! The thing is, I got Sideshow following an experience of a breakdown, which had been a long time coming, having suffered for years, as far back as I can remember, with depression and anxiety. I was not working, therefore had a lot of spare time to recuperate and among many things, owning a pet played a big part in my recovery. One thing I have found with animals in general, are their fascinating behaviours and how this can invite us to spend lengthy amounts of time just observing them. It is peaceful, distracting and beautiful. I don’t think of Sideshow as just a pet, but a saviour and a friend.

Husband doesn’t have the best relationship with him and at times I feel I am the only one that “gets” Sideshow. Sometimes I even feel that Sideshow holds certain traits as his mummy - lots of sleeping being one of them.

He is a comfort and a strength and I truly believe any type of pet you can interact with, or simply just observe, can provide a special type of therapy and long lasting happiness.