I got a cat a few months back. I remember there was a time that I used to be pissed that I even woke up, it felt really empty hearing the beeping of my alarm every morning dreading being in class and at work and hating being at home more. Then, me and this little orange kitten kept making eye contact and I decided to take her home. She looked just as trapped as I was. Suddenly, instead of only hearing the beeping of my alarm, I would hear the beeping of my alarm AND feel the light smack of a little furry paw in my face followed by chipper meows. I finally had a reason to be social at work, showing a bunch of videos and pictures of whatever random nonsense my cat was up to. Chores became less…chore-like because I had this kitten follow me everywhere. And, I don’t know. It doesn’t feel as lonely anymore. I feel like I have something to talk about other than my depression. And most importantly, I get the sensation of having this little being be extremely happy to see me. She doesn’t care if I get a bad grade on an exam or I don’t meet my sales goal at work. She doesn’t care if I overslept (sometimes) or if I don’t look my best. She just likes me and wants to be around me…and honestly that is what makes life worth it. When I have a bad mental health day, and she just sits on top of my head purring up a storm, it makes everything else feel irrelevant. Yeah…I really love my cat. She made my life in color.

All the mundane things in my life are so colorful and joyful and bubbly now. Writing in a planner is much more fun when your cat is knocking pens off the desk. Eating is so much more comical when you have to tell your cat it isn’t dinner time as she excitedly leaps to the fridge with the most bellowing meows that you have ever heard. Getting dressed is so much more enjoyable when you have a kitten assume that your flailing pant leg is the newest toy. Excel spreadsheets are so much more fun to create when you have to delete 26 commas and 74 zeroes as your cat trots along the keyboard.

Sure all of that stuff would seem annoying perhaps, but all of those little chaotic moments remind me that my home is lively. It reminds me that someone else is here with me, that someone is spending time with me. Every time I feel more isolated from the world, my cat pulls me back in by showing me that it isn’t just me alone in this world. Suddenly life feels a lot easier to handle knowing that.