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Because today is both a pets blog day and Thanksgiving, it’s a perfect time to write about one of the things I’m thankful for: my pets. In one way it’s kind of a silly sentiment; I have them because I went out and adopted them, but that doesn’t change how thankful I am for their presence.
Early last week I was really reminded how thankful I am for their companionship. They’d all just received their flea/tick treatment, so they weren’t allowed on the sofa or to have any cuddle time. I like to let the Frontline settle in for 24-48 hours or else I might accidentally cuddle them and smear it all over myself. It’s happened before.
Cole especially missed the place at my side or on my lap he usually claims while I’m doing work during the day. He’d try to jump up and be shooed away, only to return for more of the same several times in an hour.
All of the pets became so desperate for their usual extra attention (I was still petting them carefully in certain areas) that I began to feel like a mean old grump. Why wouldn’t I let them sit with me? How could I be so cruel as to deny them what they wanted?
Strangely, this made me more grateful for my pets. Not grateful that a bunch of animals are seemingly so capable of sending waves of shame directly to my brain, but for the special bond they share with me. I’m very grateful for the time we get to spend cuddling, and not just when it’s winter and I have them all arranged in strategic places over me for maximum warmth and comfort (though I’m quite thankful for that, too).
I’m thankful for Chihiro, who knows when I’m sad and comes to cuddle me, and while doing so exudes the sense that she’s exactly where she ought to be and she’s never happier anywhere else in the world. I’m thankful for Cole, my special buddy, who comes whenever I whistle for him and always sits as close as he can while I’m working. And I’m thankful for Chrestomanci, my newest kitty, who lets me carry him and hold him in my lap, and who in turn seems to adore the attention as he hides his face in the crook of my arm and purrs louder than any cat I’ve ever known.
Every pet owner or animal lover knows of the special bond animals and humans can share. On this day for giving thanks, I am grateful for the existence of that bond, and the truth of it that I have with each of my pets.
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