Flashback Friday: A Girl and Her Cat

Today I want to introduce you to someone who is very special to me- my tabby cat Pumpkin. I had Pumpkin for 16 years throughout my whole childhood. He was born under our backporch the day before my 3rd birthday and passed away during my second year of college. Pumpkin was a very special cat. He was great with me even as a toddler. I have never met a cat that is as tolerant and loving as he was.He never once attacked, bit, or scratched me. His idea of a great day was a day filled with being with his humans, naps in the sun, and plenty of cat treats. As a kid I used to sneak him cheese all the time. I believe I can credit a lot of my love for animals and pets to Pumpkin. Whenever I was sad I knew I could always go find him and he would be happy just curling up in my lap and being there with me. He saw me grow up from a little tot to the young woman I am today. 

I remember when I was trying to come up with a name for Pumpkin. He was the runt of his litter so I wanted to name him Munchkin. However, I was only 3 years old so “Munchkin” sounded a little bit more like “Munkin.” I was a very stubborn child and did not like it when people laughed when I mispronounced words, so I wanted to come up with something else. It happened to be October by this time so pumpkins were everywhere you looked. Since he was orange and pumpkins are orange, I figured “Pumpkin” would do since I could not say “Munchkin.” Unfortunately my parents still thought I was saying “Punkin” for the first part of his life!  

Pumpkin wasn’t just great with me as a kid, but he was good with dogs too. He was a very dog savvy cat. He could tell if a dog was okay for him to be around or not. He also wasn’t afraid to put a small dog in it’s place! When Gracie first came to live with us, she would always try to chase him. It used to make me so mad. However, with lots of correction she came to accept Pumpkin as part of the pack. She would even groom him! I would not be quick to trust her with another cat, but I think over time she could accept another feline. 

Because of Pumpkin and what he meant to me, I always thought I was a cat person. But then Gracie came along and showed me that I could love a canine just as much. I do not know what I would have done if I did not have Gracie when Pumpkin passed. He had been in my life as long as I could remember. Nothing could ever replace what I had with him- he was there for such important years of my life. However, I am thankful to have Gracie through this next stage of life- young adulthood. She came to me when I was just 14 and I hope she will be with me for several more years to come.

Pets play such a special part in our lives. They leave paw marks on our hearts forever. Cherish what you have with your furry (or scaly or feathery!) friends today and remember what you had with the ones in the past.

Thanks for reading,

Katie and Gracie