Our Pets Are Truly Part of the Family

We have a number of pets, including a small, aging Chihuahua and a few cats. They’re adorable and we love them a lot.

The cats follow my younger sister around pretty much wherever she goes, including the bathroom, or they meow and yell on the other side of the door if she hasn’t let them in, almost like they think she’s just a large cat. We call her the cat whisperer, but she’s like that with all animals, really, except for bugs. She hates bugs.

The small, aging Chihuahua is mine. His name is Jasper. We named him after the character in “Twilight” because he’s always anxious. He’s a good dog. However, because he’s a Chihuahua, he’s not exactly smart.

Well, he’s smart when it suits him. But I love him anyway. He’ll jump up to sit on my footrest between my feet, and he hates it when my mom has to do physio if I have pneumonia. When he was younger, he would actually jump onto my feet pedals, and then into my lap, to stop her from doing chest compressions because he thought it was hurting me.

Pets are great companions. And I think they’re great for our mental health. 

One of our cats is a munchkin. He’s my mom’s, and all he usually wants to do is get cuddled or play fetch. I’m not kidding — our cat plays fetch. He taught himself; we have no idea how he figured it out. He even tries to put his toys on my footrest so I can throw them for him, which I can’t do, but it is adorable.

Cats are surprisingly smart. Many people don’t think they are, but our cats have never once lain on me in a way that would smother or hurt me. They either lie across my feet or above the pillow under my head. It’s like they just know.

Our cats have figured out how to open drawers and cupboards, as well as doors occasionally. If they had opposable thumbs, they would probably run the world. They greet us when we come into the house and yell at us when we leave, but they’re good squishy fur babies.

If you have the ability, I suggest you get a pet, even if it’s just a goldfish or bird. They’re good company, and they end up being part of the family.

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