Animal Companions Issue 13 Home Page

Staff Photo It was so easy to live with Mar. She was well-mannered, and she was very quiet and calm. I liked her short, gray hair and her eyes, and her long, straight tail. Mar, My First Cat Hyeja Lee from Japan I like cats. When I was a child, I used to ask my parents to have a cat, but they never allowed me to have one. Whenever I brought a stray cat home, the next morning it was gone. My parents took it somewhere because they didn't like cats and they never allowed me to bring a pet inside of the house. But now, there are cats at my parents home, and they like cats very much. The first cat we had changed their mind, and she was the best cat we have ever had. The name of the cat was Mar. When I was a university student, I lived in an apartment alone far away from my parents. I hadn't forgotten my dream which was to have a cat, so I decided to have a cat and hide it from my parents. I asked my friends if anybody had a kitty, and one of them gave it to me. I liked her short, gray hair and her eyes; one was blue, and the other one was green. In China, it is said that to have a cat whose eyes are different colors is lucky. I also liked her long, straight tail. Staff Photo I didn't know how wonderful it is to have a pet until I met Mar. I felt like we had a bond which was not like the one between friends, but like the one between family members. It was so easy to live with her. She was well-mannered, and she was very quiet and calm. At first, I was afraid that she couldn't meow because I didn't hear her voice at all. When I took her to an animal hospital, they told me she had to have an injection. She was calm, but at that time, she only made just a small voice. Living alone changed for me once I had Mar. She was always beside me, and I felt comfortable and peaceful. I didn't know how wonderful it is to have a pet until I met Mar. I felt like we had a bond which was not like the one between friends, but like the one between family members. She was not only my pet, but also she became something special for me. One year after Mar began to live with me, I graduated from my university and decided to go back to my hometown. I had to tell my parents I had a cat. They were surprised and refused to accept Mar, but finally they had to accept her. I took Mar to my parents' home three months before I moved. They didn't accept the idea willingly, but they soon got to like Mar because she was different from their image of cats. They didn't know there could be such a quiet and smart cat, and she never got into mischief and bothered them. They didn't know how nice it is to have a cat until then. Staff Photo Before I met Mar, I didn't understand people who doted on their pets because it seemed weird to me. But now, I can understand their feelings. While I returned to my apartment to prepare to move, a terrible thing happened. My mother called me, crying, and said Mar had been run over by a car and killed. My parents apologized again and again. We all couldn't stop crying. Especially, my mother's sadness was very deep, the same as mine, because Mar had always been with her since she had been in their home. Then my mother asked me to get another cat like Mar. From then on, there have been cats in my parents' home. After we had other cats, we realized what a good character Mar had. If it had not been Mar that I took to my parents' home, they couldn't have known how nice it is to have a cat. Before I met Mar, I didn't understand people who doted on their pets because it seemed weird to me. But now, I can understand their feelings. Also, I believe that having pets at home make the relationship between family members better. Another story: A Friend in the Garden Return to: Animal Companions | Issue 13 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2008 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com