avatarLucia Landini

Summary

The author learns about acceptance from their new cat, Mia, who has a challenging personality compared to their previous cat, Fumo.

Abstract

The narrative describes the author's journey of understanding and accepting their new cat, Mia, who has a very different personality from their beloved late cat, Fumo. Initially, the author struggles to connect with Mia due to her moody and independent nature, which starkly contrasts with Fumo's affectionate and dependent demeanor. Over time, Mia begins to accept the author's family as her own, and the author learns valuable life lessons about embracing individuality, recognizing boundaries, and loving unconditionally despite differences. The experience with Mia leads the author to reflect on their relationships with people and the importance of patience and trust in forming bonds.

Opinions

  • The author has a preference for sweet, honest, and introverted personalities, which aligns with their fondness for their late cat, Fumo.
  • Mia, the new cat, initially evokes feelings of frustration due to her unpredictable behavior and lack of affection, which the author finds challenging to navigate.
  • The author acknowledges the importance of not comparing Mia to Fumo, recognizing that each animal has its unique personality and relationship with its family.
  • Mia's eventual acceptance of her new family teaches the author to respect differences and adjust their approach to forming a bond, emphasizing the significance of stepping back and understanding the other's needs.
  • The author appreciates the lessons learned from Mia, seeing them as beneficial for their interactions with both animals and people in their life, and acknowledges Mia's role in making them a better person and cat owner.

The Way My Cat Showed Me What Acceptance Is

I am learning

Photo by Author — Mia pretending she didn’t notice me

We have all met people with specific personalities we go on well with. For example, I like sweet and honest persons, those you can trust. Their words go with their actions. If they are introverts and a little shy, and open up after some time, then I adore them. They are a secret treasure that needs to be conquered a step at a time. When I meet one of them, I am happy and interested and I get a new energy.

I had similar feelings with my beloved cat Fumo. He was the sweetest cat and he loved being hugged and listening to the stories I told him about our life together. He liked to spend time with me, and he could easily show me his emotions and needs. I miss his so much.

A few weeks after he left us, we found another cat that we decided to adopt, Mia. At first she was really angry at us, I think it was because she missed her previous house, and her owner, that she loved deeply. Of course, she was not aware of having been abandoned. Yet, after a few weeks, she finally accepted us as her new family and house.

However, her personality is not among my favorites, or one I go on well with. It is not easy for me to get closer to her. She is moody, she seems ready to be cuddled and one minute later she tries to bite me. She is very active, wants to play, and then she leaves and doesn’t care about you. She is a little crazy.

She is independent, she doesn’t need me or my cuddles, and probably she doesn’t miss me when I am away. She is the opposite of Fumo! I know, I must not compare the two, every animal has a different personality and creates a different relationship with the family.

She reminds me of when my mother used to say, talking about me: “that’s the way she is”, with some kind of resignation in her voice.

This is what Mia taught me: to accept the differences and relate to a new personality. To understand when I must stop giving love, and step back. To look at the others’ needs and not only to my own need of affection, love and sharing. To look at the small signs that a person sends me, showing her needs. To take time, wait and try again when the right time comes. To trust her. She showed me how to love despite the differences.

I think it will help me even with the people I love, and with the new people who will cross my path.

Maybe Mia doesn’t care too much about me, but she taught me how to be a better person and a better cat lady. If only I could kiss her once a day!

Thank you Yana Bostongirl for your January prompt… it’s never too late to write about our beloved cats!

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