When Professor Perkins changed my life.

Having cared for a handful of animals throughout my life, I've had my fair share of experiences with love and letting go.

As a child you may be fortunate to welcome a pet into your home, however the relationship is superficial in that you aren't fully responsible for this animal and everything for children is pretty freakishly awesome either way. Even if it may not seem that way at the time. So as kids we somehow take for granted and do not quite truly understand nor appreciate our pets as we do until we enter maturity.

As adults let's face it, life can be challenging. Whether at school or work, in our communities, with our families, the children or other relationships we may sometimes feel underappreciated. There are moments that are far from amazing and you feel you can't seem to catch a break. Then you get home and the tasks and grind seem never ending. Shampoo, rinse and repeat.

UNLESS you have a pet that is... then you come home and you are greeted at the door with a wiggling body ready to loves you with a ton of slobbery wet kisses or cuddles and somehow you seem to forget it all. On those really tough days, they offer you silence and support with the nudge of a big fat head, boop of a cold wet nose or simply a warm furry body to hug and let you know everything will somehow be okay. Maybe it has something to do with being of another species which increases this bond, but the level of loyalty and unconditional love varies drastically from the version we sometimes receive from our fellow humans.

For me, I think a large part of my appreciation and connection with these little guys is because of their honest, intuitive and instinctual nature. In contrast to us our companion animals act mainly on primal instincts for survival, yet somehow they have evolved to coexist in our homes and bond with us on an emotional plane.

I've always considered myself more of a dog person than cat. Mostly because I am well versed to the actions and behaviors of canine over feline. My personal experience with those little hunters is that they are more independent in nature or can be a solitary breed. I've seen cats and dogs who have been able to coexist, but not personally or from an immediate interaction. In most cases I always believed this takes some effort, time or training to develop.

This all changed when Professor Perkins entered my life. The morning following Christmas day my neighbor stopped me to inquire if I knew of any facilities or shelters who would take a stray kitten. She said she found him on Christmas night hiding under a car. That he was very sweet, but due to her allergies and house filled with dogs she was planning on leaving him alone in her cellar basement. However had preferred not to as she would have to confine him to a pet carrier which she didn't believe would be beneficial considering how friendly he was. I asked to take a look at him and informed I would be willing to foster him temporarily on the condition he got along with KiKo.

So I brought him over and mere minutes after his release from the carrier he seemed more than fine with Orie. Moreover, he was the absolute sweetest little kitten. He allowed me to trim his nails (which was a first for me) and immediately fell asleep in my lap. Based on his behavior and how overall clean he was I began to think maybe he was a Christmas present who had gotten lose.

I decided to take him to my vet to scan for a microchip to see if he belonged to anyone. No chip unfortunately. After a quick eval, we learned he was about 3 or 4 months old, weighed in at BIG 3lbs and was free of fleas. The vet tech advised his eye, ears and nose were clean and free of any debris or mites that would seem to offer any concerns for the time being. We returned home and he was allowed to make himself comfortable.

Which he did just that. I will admit, I was surely surprised by his instantaneous love affair with KiKo. She's an extremely chill pooch, but I've had kittens still hiss and try to swat her while she slept or cats would hiss, hide and discontinue any further interaction.

Furthermore, I was equally surprised with how easily I had come to fall in love with this little dude and him with me. That first night, as I wanted to be sure we were all okay considering this was a new arrangement between the 3 of us, I somehow fell asleep on the couch. Around 2:30 am I woke up to find him nestled beside me with his little paw rested on my chest and my heart melted. Even having KiKo since a puppy, I don't recall having felt this way after just a few hours.

The next few days were filled with just that. A lot of fun, play and love. These two were inseparable, mostly because they're both food monsters and giant love bugs. Where I was again baffled was when it was bath time for KiKo and I had to continuously keep Perkies from entering the shower. I've always believed Orie is a dog with a lot of cat like tendencies and unexpectedly we somehow found her little kitten brother with all his dog like traits. As much as I wanted to continue to see this friendship unfold to it's highest potential, I needed to face the reality that it was only temporary.

That realization arrived sooner than expected as I had to say goodbye to my little guy only after having him with us for 3 nights. Today marks one week since he entered my life and there is an emptiness that lingers following his departure. I think KiKo also misses her little brother some. Although for her it is likely her grieving the end of getting to lick up food scraps from the kitty plate. In the 4 days Professor Perkins was with us, he made my days even brighter. I get it, we're both pretty lucky to have found him and had connected while it lasted. But it is one of the hardest things for me to accept and send him off. I have been beating myself up and questioning if it was the right thing to do or could there have been more done on my part to keep him permanently. I can only hope his new home offers him with greater love.

Despite these doubts, there is overwhelming positivity that has come from this experience. I thank Professor Perkins for showing me another level of love I had not been privy was within me. I will forever be grateful to PiPi for his instant comfort, opening my eyes to many firsts and giving me better understanding where I had so very little. Professor Perkins, little man, you will forever be in my heart.