Cats: a human's best friend?

It’s 8’clock in the morning on a Tuesday, as usual my day starts bright and early with zoom calls. Half awake and still kind of foggy, I try and turn on my analytical mind, as we’re going over the budget for 2021.

In the background of my camera angle, an orange fluff moves across the screen. That orange bundle of joy is Diego. Diego begins meowing, rather loudly. If anybody has experience with orange cats, you know how incredibly vocal they can be.

You see - Diego is trying to access a ‘forbidden’ area of the house. Diego doesn’t quite understand the meaning of ‘forbidden’ and even if he did, house rules are always guidelines that he blatantly ignores.

He looks at the door, then looks back at me, then looks back at the door, then back at me. With his huge green eyes that contrast with his vibrant orange fur and pierce into your soul as he lets out another meow.

You see - Diego is smart. Like borderline human smart. And he’s pissed because we changed all the doorknobs of the house. Within weeks of arriving at our house, he taught himself how to open everything from cabinets, closets, oh yeah and doors.

He launches at the door handle, swings his agile body back and forth until the door cracks open. Then he pushes the door open with his tiny head. Always letting out a loud meow.

If there’s one thing Diego hasn't mastered it’s the art of silence. His vocalness gives away his latest mishiefs, always. That’s the thing about Diego, he’s so darn smart and he knows how to get what he wants with his overly vocalness, cuddles, and never-ending purrs. This cat keeps us on our toes.

With Diego, I’m convinced that cats are a human’s best friend.

Diego came into my life as a kitten, a tiny, fragile baby kitten that I could hold in the palm of my hands. In the summer of 2018, I begrudgingly agreed to foster four kittens that were found in a ditch after a friend kept bombarding my inbox with photos of the latest available fosters.

These four tiny, scared kittens showed up to my house a week later on a warm Saturday morning. From the start, the kittens kept to themselves, taking cover when I entered the room.

One day, I was leaning over to pour food into their bowl (expecting them all to be hiding from the scary human) when I felt a tiny, claw-like pounce on my back...and that my friends is how I met Diego.

From the start, Diego has been bold, friendly, and loving. He's not afraid to push his limits and he teaches me everyday to live outside my comfort zone. The bond I developed with Diego was too strong to ignore that I decided to adopt him and become his forever mama.

As an introverted female, I have learned my fair share from this tiny feline. Diego has taught me to 'ask for what I want,' learn new skills, and live my life to the fullest.

At work, when I felt I was not receiving a fair compensation, I thought to myself 'what would Diego do?' This led me to ask (and receive!) the boost in salary that I worked hard to achieve. Moreover, when I find myself letting my insecurities get the best of me, I channel my 'inner Diego' to achieve the extra level of confidence I need.

You know - they call it 'humans adopting pets' but really, it's us adopting each other. As cat enthusiasts know - you don't really pick a cat...

...a cat picks you!