As mothers, many of us felt those nurturing feelings long before we were actually ready to have children. We may have satisfied those urges by babysitting, or mentoring, but many of us started with a “practice” baby covered in fur and full of unconditional love. I was one of those women that scratched that maternal itch by adopting my cat Lola almost exactly 14 years ago.
She was a scruffy-looking, 4-week-old kitten from a farm, and I was a stressed out law student with little time, money or energy. She arrived scared, hungry, and without the slightest interest in human interaction. She spent the first few days under my bed, and wouldn’t even let me hold her for more than a minute at a time. I was disappointed to say the least. I wanted a snuggly little fur ball who would curl up near my head at night and purr whenever she was on my lap. It took about a week of acclimating to her new surroundings before she warmed up, but once she did she was everything I could wish for in a pet. She was friendly to everyone, affectionate beyond belief and very social. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) frequently commented on how dog-like she was. She would greet you at the door, play fetch on command, and beg for table scraps (which she was often given).
In terms of preparing me for motherhood, I’d like to think she taught me a lot about the virtue of patience. Lola had several interesting “quirks” to put it nicely. She would scale the clothes hanging in my closet to get to the sweater shelf, and it wasn’t uncommon to put on a pair of running shorts or pajamas to find that the strings has been completely chewed off. She also had an affinity for all things electronic, and by that I mean that she chewed through chargers and mouse cords like it was her job. She was notorious for stealing food, and would destroy hamburger and hot buns that got left on the counter.
Despite these “quirks”, she earned my undying loyalty in how she adapted to our sons. She was my oldest child’s guard animal when he was an infant, and never showed even the slightest bit of aggression towards him despite the constant attempts to ride her like a pony and the near-constant pulling of her tail. She would follow him around knowing the abuse was coming and then lovingly wait for it to begin. When my second came along I thought for sure she had had enough, being that she was 12 already, but she showed that she still had so much love to give and was even more tolerant than the first time around.
Lola was a trouper; she endured a lot over the years of countless moves, crazy children, other animals invading her space and just the general transitions that come with 14 years of life. Now, after learning that she has advanced cancer, she is down to her last major transition and we will make sure that it is as smooth and happy as we can. As I prepare to say my goodbyes to this sweet, unexpectedly loyal, and endlessly adoring soul I am forever grateful for her companionship over these years. These were some of the busiest, most eventful, and ever-changing years of my life and during them she was my constant. I don’t know how I will be ready to let the one who helped prepare me for this journey of motherhood go, but I do know that she will be in my heart forever. RIP Sweet Lola.
