I Remember... My First Animal Experience for ENG 1010

While I can’t remember the first time I interacted with an animal, I can remember the first pet which was my idea.  My family had a cat named Cozy.  He was a long-haired tabby cat.  Cozy must have been unsatisfying for me because one day I woke up with the idea that I needed my own cat.  I begged and pleaded with my parents, my grandparents, my siblings, and just about anybody who would put up with me.  I made my grandmother take me to the pet store so I could peruse the available options.  I looked at cat magazines so I could pick the best match for me.  I did my cat homework, all the while, ignoring the cat we already had.

My obsession with getting a cat turned into a general obsession with cats.  I had posters on my walls of cats, both domestic and wild.  I would often pretend I was a cheetah and show anybody who was paying attention just how fast I was.  I regularly watched the cartoon Thundercats with awe and appreciation, all the while, ignoring the cat we already had.

Finally, my parents gave in to my incessant begging, pleading and whining.  We drove to the pet store and browsed the kittens.  I picked the one I wanted and the shop owner grabbed it, put it in a cardboard box, rang us up and sent us on our way.

When we got home, I unpackaged my new friend, a short-haired tabby cat whom I named Cookie.   Cookie was my newest best friend, and I’m sure he thought of me as annoying, needy and overly affectionate because I never let him out of my sight.  I was torturously enthralled with Cookie.  I would make crowns for “King Cookie”, chase him around the house, attempt to speak “cat” to him, among several other ridiculous activities.

Cozy hated Cookie.  As if to make me pay for what I’d done, Cozy became territorial and started spraying.   Then I started paying attention to him.