reason no. 1

i have always been identified, definitively, as a "dog person."

i moved to this city. and began having many facets of my identity challenged. in the greatest ways. ways that i welcomed.

and then i started living with roommates. and their cats. and i wasn't so sure i thought it was going to be such a great challenge anymore. litter boxes. hairballs. claws. i was skeptical, to say the least.

and slowly, surely these cats became part of my life. day in. day out. i never thought that we'd be friends. that we'd "get" each other.

but little ume (oo-may) . . . well she somehow wormed her way into my heart. with trepidation, we checked each other out. tested each other. began to trust each other. and i fell for her.

i just spent the past 18 hours or so sleeping in a vet hospital. emptying tissue boxes. talking to strangers. sharing memories and grieving with loved ones. all in the name of a cat. in the name of the sweetest kitten i never knew i could love. that i never knew i could miss so much.

thank you, ume. for being reason no. 1 to give cats a chance.