Cat Daddy

So it’s early 2025 and my mental health is in a bad place because of a year’s worth of life baggage coupled with a history of trauma. While beginning a quest to heal myself internally I was made aware of the common notion that cats make for good companions that aid in the improvement of mental health. Eventually I started discussing this with my closest friend who actually has multiple cats, one of which was pregnant at the time and we had an idea that it might be good for me to adopt one of her soon to be newborn kittens to help with my spiraling mental health. The outcome? I have now become a cat dad to a kitten named Bagheera S’mores.

Sometime after my birthday in February I made up my mind that I was gonna adopt one of my best friend’s kittens when they were born, so the next few months consisted of me trying to mentally prepare myself for the cat’s arrival. I was very curious to see how this all was gonna turn out considering that I was mostly a dog person growing up, but still liked cats to a big degree and was interested in seeing how I could handle a kitten. Before the kittens were born I made up my mind that I was gonna name my kitten Bagheera, which is the name of my favorite character from the story Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Seven weeks after the kittens were born my homegirl was ready for me to come pick one up.

I come by her house to get a pick of the litter and it actually wasn’t difficult to determine which one I wanted out of this busy bunch. She had a feisty one named Demon that I definitely didn’t want because she hissed at me and while the others crawled all around me there was one I picked up who just sat still in my lap. I felt her calm, warm spirit and made up my mind that she was the one I wanted. This is the kitten that would be my Bagheera. So I pack her up and take her home and she jumps around my apartment like a kid in a candy store with her cat toys littering my floor. Bagheera was home.

The technical side of all this was very easy. All the cat food and appliances didn’t even come out to be 50 dollars. What I was more worried about was would I be qualified to handle a cat or any pet for that matter considering that I’ve never had one of my own. To my surprise, I’ve actually done better than I imagined. I’ve potty trained her well and I give her the proper cat baths though they carry a good amount of blood and scratches. More than anything I was wondering if this would improve my mental health as planned and I am glad to say yeah it has.

Having Bagheera in my life has been a true blessing and a great step in the right direction towards improving the state of my mental health. Her presence is such a positive distraction and having her around is the equivalent of having my best friend living with me. Everyday when I come home from work she runs out of my room and into my arms when she hears me call her name as I walk through the front door. This always gives me a feeling I can’t describe. It always reminds me that I am loved even when I don’t feel so lovable and more than anything it’s a healthy reminder that I do matter. I’m still in the process of healing, but thank the man upstairs and my best friend that I have Bagheera S’mores by my side helping through this journey.