HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO OLLIE

No shame in my crazy cat lady game. It was Ollie's FIRST birthday yesterday so you know I had to dedicate a post to my furry little dude. Anyone who follows me on Snapchat knows I am obsessed with him. This past September I rescued Ollie when he was just over a month old. Today he turns 1 and I thought it would be a perfect time to share the story of how I got him and what he has taught me over the past year.

The story of how I got Ollie:

(That's him in the middle!!)

The first time I met him 😍

So I guess I have to correct myself when I said I rescued Ollie. Truthfully, another family rescued Ollie and I gave him a forever home. Last July, a girl in my sorority posted on Facebook that her family found 3 tiny kittens in her bushes abandoned by their mom. They were only a few days old and they were absolutely adorable. As cute as they were, they were also very sick  with eye and skin infections  and the vet was not sure they were going to survive. This amazing family nursed all 3 of these babes back to health, took them to the vet weekly, bottle fed them around the clock, and even potty trained them. They are truly amazing! I visited Ollie and his siblings a few times in that month and before I knew it I was able to take Ollie home. After that, the rest was history. I was absolutely obsessed.

There are actually THREE kittens in this picture. Can you spot them all!?

What Having My Own Pet Taught Me:

1. Responsibility. Let's just start with the most obvious one here. I consider myself a pretty responsible person but I've never had to care for anyone else besides myself. I had to make sure I was scheduling vet appointments in a timely manner, having enough food and litter in the house and getting more when I'm running out (which low key can be a pain in the butt when I'm feeling lazy), having enough food and water out for him (especially if I'm ever gone overnight), "kitty proofing" the apartment to make sure nothing dangerous or sharp is left out and all food (especially his treats) are put away in a secure location. Kittens are no joke! Just recently, he's been obsessed with plastic wrappers that make crinkly noises. I have a garbage can in my bedroom that doesn't have a lid and I found that he's been eating pieces of random wrappers which is NOT GOOD So I've had to be more careful with these things and instead throw them out in my kitchen garbage can with a secure lid!!

2. Unconditional Love. I can't say I've ever experienced the bond between a pet and owner until Ollie.  Having a pet of my own is such a special bond. Every morning after Matt leaves for work Ollie will nuzzle his way into the crevice of my neck/shoulder and cuddles up into a little ball. Every day after I get home from work he gets so excited and will reach up to me wanting to be picked up. He follows me everywhere - whether I am showering or getting ready in the bathroom, cleaning my room, cooking in the kitchen, watching TV in the living room, etc. Whatever room I am in you will surely find Ollie and that in itself just melts my heart. A perfect example is this picture 😂 This was taken sometime last year when I was (attempting) to work from home but this guy had other plans for me. He loves being the center of attention! I truly can't imagine my life without him. As cheesy as it sounds we have a very special bond.

3. Discipline. This was pretty tough to learn for me and I would say I'm still learning as I go. I'm in a constant battle of wanting to spoil him and let him do whatever he wants versus disciplining him and helping him go from rambunctious kitten into a mature pet. Sometimes he plays too rough or jumps up on counter tops. Sometimes I like to feed him food besides his kitten food (he loves turkey!!). I want to let him have fun and have as much freedom as possible but at the same time he needs to learn what is and what isn't acceptable. I will admit, he is verrrrry spoiled. I give him turkey, I let him run down the halls of my apartment, and when I take him on roadtrips I let him roam free in the car as opposed to sitting in his cage. What can I say - I'm not a regular cat mom I'm a cool cat mom 😉

4. Patience. As cute as he is, he can drive me absolutely CRAZY sometimes!
For example: At night, when we are are sleeping, he likes to jump behind the drawn curtains in my bedroom and try to climb through the blinds because he likes to sit by the window. This is truly SO annoying because the blinds make so much noise. There are nights where I have to get up several times in the early hours of the morning and take him off the window sill. Not ideal, let me tell you. Also, he LOVES to cuddle in mornings right around the time I have to wake up.... so he sits himself perfectly into the crevice between my shoulder and face which is fine except for the fact he'll be nudging my face with his and his whiskers tickle my face like CRAZY. Who needs an alarm cat when you have a needy cat, am I right? As I mentioned before, I have never had a pet of my own before so this is all so new to me and I'm still learning as I go but I can tell you, patience is a virtue with rambunctious cats like mine 😂

 

5. I'm in trouble when I have kids. Or get a dog!! Since getting Ollie, I realized I am like an overprotective, worried and obsessive mother. If I'm away from him overnight I'm constantly worrying if I left him enough food, if the apartment is too hot/cold, if he's lonely/bored, etc. It's pretty pathetic 😂 Can you imagine what I'll be like once I have kids??? Or dogs???  Only half kidding....  But truly, Ollie has been such an amazing blessing in my life and I am so lucky to have him 💕  I remember before I made the official decision to get him I was going back and forth with the idea wondering if I really wanted to take on the responsibility, have to pay for vet visits, food, litter, an extra apartment fee etc. and I am SO thankful I made the right choice.


Happy 1st birthday to this little chunk of mine! 💙








xo, Allie