I Fall in Love With My Cat Every Time I See Him

It’s love at every sight

Uri is on the red paisley chair. Photo by author.

We were told to go to the Jack in the Box, off Kanan Road in Agora Hills, look for a light green Suburu wagon, and follow it into the hills. We had to trust that the driver would take us to the right place and weren’t being taken on a ride to our doom.

Masks were required.

If it hadn’t been 1:00 p.m. on the Fourth of July during the Pandemic, it would have felt as if we were spies on a covert operation. But we weren’t picking up a package, but meeting a V.I.K. — a very important kitten, one we hoped would join our family.

Yoshi, my soulcat, had died two years previously and left a huge hole in our hearts. Carlos, a feral cat rescue, had helped us to heal, but our feline family still felt incomplete.

After Yoshi passed, I’d gotten it into my head that he was a Maine Coon mix, and I needed another fluffy grey and white cat, preferably a Maine Coon, in my life.

I trolled Pet Finders as if it was a dating app, looking for compatible cats — someone I could love with all my heart, and then I saw a picture of River.

River was a tiny kitten with grey fur so light it looked blue. The photo showed him in a tiny carpet-covered cubicle. He had beaker-shaped white fur that was thin above his eyes and filled out so his mouth and chin were all white.

White fur on his belly and perfectly aligned white socks completed River’s look.

Looking at River’s picture was the first time I fell in love with him.

We followed Carol, the woman from the rescue, up some winding, hilly roads into a posh neighborhood. There were many huge Ranch houses with stables and guest houses.

Carol stopped her car at the gates of one sprawling estate, and they swung open, allowing both our cars to enter the grounds.

This was unlike any rescue I’d ever been to.

Once parked, Carol explained to us that the estate's owners were animal lovers and allowed their gatehouse and garages to be used for the rescue.

We followed her back to a tiny room, and there inside were cat trees, cages, kitty condos, toys, and assorted kittens. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time playing with each other, chowing down on kibble, and getting attention from all the humans.

Carol put the tiny grey and white bundle, River, in my arms, and he snuggled into my chest and began purring. I knew I’d love him forever, and Andy knew there was no longer any question about whether we’d take him.

I thought it might be a deterrent since I had four cats already, but it wasn’t. It showed that we knew what we were doing and would give River a good home.

River’s origins were unknown, but he’d been found after wandering into a lady’s garden. She’d put the hose on him, completely soaking and traumatizing him. A good Samaritan had been walking by and grabbed River and took him to a shelter.

River didn’t seem like a good name for a cat who’d experienced water cruelty.

Although we could tell River was special, he didn’t look like a Maine Coon, and Carol admitted he probably wasn’t. It didn’t matter; he was beautiful, and he needed us.

A month later, we went through the same process, picked him up, and took him to his forever home — our home.

The first order of business is to change his name to Uri. I wanted something similar to Yoshi but different. Uri wasn’t replacing Yoshi — no one could, but together with Carlos and the rest of the cats, he helped our hearts heal.

Now, almost three years later, Uri is our beautiful boy. We think he’s a Norwegian Forest Cat because he’s large and still growing. His fur isn’t blue-grey anymore but a darker grey.

Uri loves sleeping in the sun, playing with his brothers, and licking everything. He still has a baby meow that he uses to entreat me to give him more treats.

I throw the delicious tidbits so he’ll run or figure out ways to extract them from under the wooden chest. It’s a good way to get him to exercise both his body and his brain.

I fall in love with him every time I look at him and tell him so multiple times throughout the day. He’s affectionate on his terms — he likes to be petted, have his ears scratched, and sometimes, he’ll sit next to you.

He’s not a big fan of being picked up, which is an injustice. If there was ever a cat made for cuddling, it’s Uri. I still treasure those moments when he was a kitten and craved being cradled in my arms.

My heart melts when I look at Uri or any of my cats. They’re all so special, and while I’ll always mourn for Yoshi, my current cats fill my life with happiness.

Do you have a special relationship with your pet? How do they enrich your life?