When I left home and headed off to school, I had no problem saying goodbye to my mom, dad, sister, or even grandparents. I knew they were only a phone call away and I wasn’t going far enough that they wouldn’t be able to drive over every once in awhile. Everything would be okay and if it wasn’t, all of my people were accessible. The only ones who were not were my pets.
I distinctly remember the night before I left, snuggling my giant Maine Coon kitten and crying. Cordelia, my cat, was laying on my chest for the last time before I was an official college student. I would be living in an animal-free dorm and could not expect the comfort of a fuzzy cat or dog near me for the first time in my life. My dog, Lucy, was curled up at the foot of my bed as if she knew I was leaving. Our other two cats, Ophelia and Panda, were running around my suitcases and ignoring my breakdown.
I have always been an animal lover, at four years old deeming my cat, Defee, my first boyfriend. He put up with my childish antics, like laying on his back or occasionally ripping out a tuft of fur, and still never ran away when I stumbled towards him. I attribute my comfort in all things furry to him, my first and best boyfriend.
In leaving for college, I knew I would have to adjust to the lack of cat hair on my clothes and dog fur in my food. I was devastated. Of course I would miss my family and friends too, but my cats and dog could not text me and tell me about their day in the window. I gave them kisses on the nose and hoped that I would manage on a constant stream of pictures sent by my mom and dad.
When I got to school, I had a really busy few weeks getting adjusted and making friends so I did not notice that I was pet-free. Right around 4th week, I had a day where I wasn’t going to study or hang out with my friends. I was so excited to watch Netflix and relax until I figured out that I couldn’t cuddle anyone. I cried over Grey's Anatomy but also over the lack of my trusty cuddle buddies. When everything relaxed a bit, my cats and dog weren’t there to purr or lick my cheek.
Nowadays, I miss them most when I get too stressed out with my work and realize that I cannot run to find a fuzzball and cuddle them. My dad has come to know when I text him requesting a cat photo, I’m probably having a small breakdown, and quickly snaps some photos. I definitely plan on housing a cat or dog once I leave the dorms but for now, photos and FaceTime will keep me struggling through until break.
