How my cat changed my life

Nearly a year ago, I was at my worst.

I was dumped in what I think was my most dramatic break-up, I started going to counselling, and I tried suppressing my feelings so I didn't have to deal with them. The last of these, of course, making the situation worse.

I didn't feel good. I struggled to wake up everyday. I didn't feel motivated to take care of myself.

In the midst of this storm, I brought Eugene home.

Little did I know, this curious and troublesome little kitten was going to change me for the better.

I didn't want to leave home. Not because I was sad, but because I couldn't bear being without my new little buddy. I was exhausted chasing my shoe-sized toddler. I constantly tried to stop him from eating my house plants, getting stuck underneath the couch, and crawling into plastic bags. I watched in amazement as he leaped distances up to a metre while participating in kitty-parkour: home edition. Luckily, after all that running around he was as exhausted as I was. When I took a nap, he would nuzzle his way into my blankets. When I woke up and couldn't see him, I was scared I had crushed him. But I could feel the little vibrations of his purr pulsing throughout his body, so I knew he was still alive...somewhere in his little blanket fort.

Eugene gave me a reason to care again. He was the spark of joy I needed to learn to love life again. When I couldn't find a reason to get out of bed, he would paw at my eyes to make sure I still would.

To this day, Eugene is a troublemaker. He's still an active parkour-er, he likes to wake my roommate and I up in the middle of the night (again, pawing at our faces), and he climbs onto places where he can't get down by himself (like shelves, where he's stuck until one of us comes home).

I wouldn't trade the giggles, the head-butts, or the purring for any of the trouble he has caused. He's my buddy. I wouldn't be the same if I didn't come home to his goofy, sweet face every day.