We are animal people.
Both my husband and I grew up with pets, and we knew that we’d raise our kids the same way.
However, with two small kids and demanding jobs, we never seemed to find the “right” time to adopt our first cat or dog (we did, however, find time for fish and a chinchilla – a story for another time).
Enter school closures and remote business during a pandemic. The four of us found ourselves sad and frustrated with a lot of time to spend within the four walls of our home.
And so, like the rest of the American public, we hopped on the pet adoption bandwagon.
My husband and I have always fancied ourselves as dog people – we both grew up with dogs and therefore assumed that we would raise our kids with dogs as well.
However, I have always felt drawn to having a cat as well, and with dog parks closed and social distancing in place, we found ourselves submitting an application to adopt a cat instead of a dog.
Fast forward six weeks, and we are now proud to call ourselves cat people. Don’t worry, we’re still dog people too.
Here is what I have learned from this process:
- There is never a “right” time to do anything. We had put off adopting a pet for far too long simply because the time did not seem “right.” What I have learned from living through history is that your time could end tomorrow, so if you want to do something and can safely and responsibly do it, then jump in.
- Don’t put yourself in a box. My husband had always sworn he would never own a cat, placing himself exclusively within the dog-people box. But you know what? He loves our cat, and our cat loves him, choosing to sleep on my husband’s side of the bed all night long. Try something new, and you might find out that you can fit into both boxes.
- Pets bring joy and hope into our lives when it feels like the world may be imploding around us. Our house has been a place of big feelings for the past few months, not just for our kids but also for my husband and myself. We are without the comfort of family and friends and attempting to navigate life as we have never experienced. Having a pet to take care of and love has been the greatest gift to our family during this confusing time.