Looking For Alaska

This is Alaska.

The reason this prompt seemed so natural to me is that I like to say that I have the best son in the world (as well as a monumental amount of bias, clearly). I consider my cat to be my own child at this point - as well as simply just a cute pet that people like to see. Having struggled with mental health issues and the fear of even leaving my house at one stage of my life, I thought he might distract me from myself, and caring for him would bring the purpose to my life that I so desperately needed. There was a lot of guilt and emotional turmoil that went into this decision, but overall it was a worthwhile one.

So there he was. After the very fresh traumatic experience of losing my first cat, I knew needed him in my life. Truthfully though, I think that goes both ways.

This is going to be an extremely soft and wholesome little story because I care so deeply about Alaska and feel it is necessary to share his presence with other people. The man must have some incredible healing properties or something because he's an utter blessing to everyone that meets him. I promise you that.

Here's a little background on him.

Currently, he's 5 years old (also a Taurus, if you were curious) and I've had him since he was 2 months old. He also, believe it or not, was considered the runt of his litter. Since he was so small and frail, he was the last one left of his siblings - a fact that absolutely blows my mind considering how beautiful of a cat he was and still is.

He was named after Berlioz from the Aristocats by his original family but I decided to change it to the name of a character in my favourite book at the time, Looking For Alaska by John Green. I think the white fur helps to justify that decision too.

He's a Ragdoll Munchkin cat (yes, you will get to see how short he is). He's a little awkward considering the fact that his legs are so short but, surprisingly, the little man has no trouble getting around and jumping onto counters and knocking things over. Also, considering his breed, when you pick him up, he'll pretty much turn into a little ragdoll - or just a baby. I've never met such a relaxed animal, I swear.

And finally, I got him as an emotional support animal at my absolute lowest point in life and that still remains as one of the best decisions I've ever made. He was never trained to be one, he was just perfect for it to begin with - which is something I appreciate dearly about him.

While he has never had the chance to come to work with me, as I am a part-time employee - he has stayed with me during every meeting, zoom university lecture and late-night study session over the years. He's the kind of cat that can sense stress, sickness and sadness, so he's been by my side for every single overwhelming situation to take my mind off my stress and anxiety.

Not to mention, he's also great at damage control. Even though he can't come with me to school or work, he'll help me recover once I'm back home.

Side Story:

A couple of years ago, I caught a terrible stomach flu that lasted weeks and kept me almost completely bedridden. I was constantly in bed in tears and could barely even leave my room. But here's the thing, Alaska has never been sweeter than in those couple weeks. He stayed with me for hours upon hours just sleeping in my lap. Even when he seemed wired and awake, he would still stay with me in the same room as if he was checking up on me. It even got to the point of watching movies on my laptop with him sitting next to me, staring at the screen the whole time as if he was enjoying it with me. Cats are mystical little creatures, I can't lie.

Something I love to share with people - especially since I've never met someone who doesn't adore this cat - is that we were there for each other in our own anxious years. When Alaska was a kitten, he couldn't sleep alone. When I went to sleep every night, he would refuse to sleep in his own little cat bed. He would insist on sleeping on my chest, under my chin or with his head resting on my arm. We basically comforted each other for months.

Now that he's a bit older though, he's significantly more self-sufficient - and honestly, so am I. I like to assume that we shared both of these phases and grew from each other with some sort of mother-son bond.

Although, I am essentially a crazy cat lady so who really knows.

So, essentially, this is what I've learned.

Protecting the pure innocence of an animal might be one of the most curative acts in the world. In the absolute deepest distress I've ever experienced, I wasn't able to let myself completely shut down because I had someone to take care of. I had to put Alaska before myself in a lot of ways and I'm thankful for that every day.

I know it may sound cliche or insignificant but pets really are major in the human healing process. No matter how problematic you feel as a person, that animal - with the purest and most innocent of motivations - will still love and care for you, and I think that's a genuine privilege.