Reminiscing on an opportunity I did not chase.
I often spend a ridiculous amount of time reflecting on my many regrets in life. My most recent regret involved my small dog and a kitten at the park.
In case it's helpful, below are the main points covered in this post:
Meeting a Kitten
Last October, my small dog, Rascal, and I took off for a typical morning while visiting my Mom's house. We hung out at a Sonic Drive-In for breakfast and made our way to the first park of the day around sunrise.
Rascal and I walked in an empty field away from the walking paths and other parkgoers. Sometimes, Rascal wants to take care of business in private.
While walking across the parking lot to get rid of his business, I heard a "meow" behind me. I turned to see a young kitten, perhaps three or four months old, running towards us.
The kitten ran straight to Rascal. They greeted one another peacefully, although there were moments when the kitten seemed unsure, and a tad scared of Rascal. It did not take long for Rascal, a friend of Felines, to win the kitten over.
Cats approaching my dogs are normal. A neighbor's cat visits my house regularly to hang out with Rascal in the yard. My first dog, Shadow, especially got along with cats. My young dog, Lucy, barks at cats, but it rarely deters cats from greeting her anyway. (Lucy acts tough, but she is actually scared of cats.)
Before this day, cats never approached me. They would greet my dogs and head off on their way. Yet, this kitten walked up to me while meowing. We stared at each other for a while. I was prepared to be attacked. I was attacked by cats as a toddler and assumed no cat would ever like me.
The kitten rubbed its head and body on my legs while purring. I have never heard a purr in person. It felt amazing to feel its soft fur brush against my skin. But it was a stray or someone's outdoor kitten. It did not seem right for me to acknowledge the attention it gave me.
I tried to ignore and proceeded with my walk with Rascal. The kitten joined us on the walk. When we stopped for Rascal to focus on pee-mail, the kitten would either rub its body on my legs or sit on my foot. There were a few times when it blocked our path and rolled onto its back as if it were asking for a belly rub.
When we returned to the parking lot, I caved in and petted the kitten. I have always wanted to pet a cat, and I took advantage of this kitten's affectionate personality. This was my first mistake. I wanted to take the kitten home.
There were parkgoers who witnessed the kitten greeting me and Rascal, telling me to take the kitten home. I debated it. I always told myself that I would only bring home another pet if it found me and refused to leave. The kitten sticking around felt like a sign that some greater power believed it was alright for me to have another pet.
Unfortunately, I knew I could not take the kitten at that moment. I was a visitor at my Mom's house, and Mom hates cats. Mom and I were also going to be gone all afternoon, and it did not seem right to take a kitten to a strange place and leave it alone for so long.
I had no cat supplies and knew little about cats. I told myself that it may be someone's outdoor kitten, so it was best to leave it. I told myself this as the kitten brushed its body across my SUV's bumper.
To my surprise, the kitten jumped into my SUV along with Rascal. I stood there wondering what to do. A part of me felt like it was a sign to take it. I wanted to go to a vet clinic for a microchip and health check. I wanted to verify that the kitten was a stray and not someone's pet.
Realistically, I knew that I could not take the kitten at that moment. I had to return to Mom's house to drop Rascal off and take Mom to her appointment. At the time, I did not know that Mom and I would spend over five hours at the hospital that afternoon.
I decided to see what happened when I closed the door. As soon as it shut closed, the kitten ran amuck inside the SUV. Rascal remained chill while the kitten lost its mind. I opened the driver's side door, and the kitten bolted. I did not chase after the kitten. I left hoping it was someone's outdoor cat.
Feeling Regretful
Because I have never been in that situation before, I do not know how I should have handled the situation. Should I have chased the kitten and taken it to a vet clinic? Should I have watched to see if it ran towards the nearby neighborhood, or a stormwater drain?
Rascal and I returned the next morning, but never saw the kitten. Another park goer was convinced the kitten was a stray and called animal control to catch it. Animal control found several kittens, but not the one kitten we met the day prior.
Rascal barked and howled for the kitten to show itself. I realized I handled things poorly the day before after seeing my dog cry for a kitten we only met once. I felt like a horrible person and an unworthy dog owner.
Rascal's howl turned into whining and whimpering. I have not heard him cry like this since Shadow passed away two years ago. I started crying.
A crow approached Rascal with some round item in its mouth. It tried giving the item to Rascal, but Rascal was too focused on spotting the kitten in the distance.
The crow tried to give me the item. This surprised me as I have never been approached by a crow, especially not one offering me a gift. This may make me seem crazy, but I politely declined the gift and suggested the crow give it to someone or something else more worthy of it.
It joined Rascal and I for a portion of our walk. As was the case the day before, several parkgoers stopped and stared as a human, dog, and crow walked past them. The crow eventually flew off.
Despite my first ever "Disney Princess" moments where a kitten and crow chose to interact with me, I felt horrible for not knowing if I could have handled my interaction with the kitten better. I felt horrible when I realized that Rascal wanted to be with the kitten.
I check the animal shelter's website often to see if they took in the kitten, but I have yet to see it listed. Maybe the kitten was someone's outdoor cat. Personally, I would keep my cat safe in my home with supervised outdoor time. Then again, I may be an overprotective pet owner.
What's Next?
I am not looking to adopt another pet, nor do I believe I will ever have another "Disney Princess" moment. I will continue to spoil my dogs and hope that all other cats and dogs find good homes.
Comment below to share your "Disney Princess" moment with animals!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam