On a blissful sunny day in July, I was on my way back from getting my schedule for my next year’s classes with my friends and I spotted a small kitten. 

The cat was hiding under a red SUV, and my friends and I decided to stop near the vehicle and approach the cat, but she quickly retreated further under the vehicle. 

I tried feeding her with a McDonald’s chicken nugget and she slowly started coming out of her hiding spot. 

Once she started getting near me, I grabbed her and, to my surprise, she didn’t make a fuss. My friend quickly gave me her sweater to wrap her. After I realized she was covered in fleas, I felt bad for her, so I quickly rushed home.

On my way home I was thinking about all the scenarios that could happen. I wondered to myself if my parents would let me keep it. The chances were slim since I already have two cats and four dogs. 

Even with those odds I still had hope, finally having a cat that I could love and care for without my sisters hogging it. People assume that because I have multiple dogs and cats, they automatically think they’re attracted to me. While I do get along with my pets, they stay distant from me. I’m nice to them and feed them, but they only seem to be interested in my other family members since I mostly stay in my room.

Once I got home, I walked through the kitchen and into the living room where my mom was. She took a good look at the cat before looking at me, “Where the hell did you find that cat?” she said. I told her I found her in the street. 

Surprisingly, my mom agreed to keep her under one condition: My dad would have to agree on keeping her as well. 

Once my dad arrived home, he took a good look at the cat and immediately started talking to it in a baby voice. 

He agreed to keep the cat under one more condition: I had to take care of it on my own and have to pay out of pocket for her shots and buy all the necessities, to which I agreed to.

I decided to name her Nova because, growing up, my babysitter had a cat with the same name. That cat was always sweet towards me and so I used that name for my cat since it held sentimental value.

As the months went by, she started getting more attached to me. Every day when I came home from school, she would always come and rub against me. I really never experienced an animal being that attached to me. While I do have other pets, they wouldn’t greet me at the door or be as attached to me.

My cat really does help me emotionally. If I had a bad day, I knew coming home to my cat would make it a little bit better. I am so grateful to have Nova in my life. She has been there for me when I was dealing with a lot of stuff in life, and I’m glad I took her in and gave her a proper home.