My Incredible Bond With Leila

Almost exactly four years ago, my heart cat Edison ran away. I admit that I still haven’t fully gotten over the loss, and I’m not sure I ever will. But last year I finally found myself searching for another cat. I wanted to throw a kitten into the mix so I could raise him or her around my other animals. For a while I contemplated adopting a kitten from AAWL, my favorite animal rescue organization. Then one random Wednesday afternoon I saw a Facebook post from my friend Stephanie. A friend of hers had found a baby Siamese kitten (who had been rescued from a car engine bay) that needed a home. When I saw the photos, I knew she was the one. She was what I had been waiting so long for. Not even five hours later, Leila was home with me, and I fell in love instantly.

I did everything I could to grow my bond with Leila from the beginning, and about eight months later it has proven effective. Leila is. my. buddy. Like, we are serious pals. Leila sleeps with me every night. She lets me pick her up and carry her around. Leila lets me attack her face with endless kisses. I’m constantly kissing and petting her paws. When I ask her to come to me, Leila comes trotting my way.

In a lot of ways, Leila reminds me of Edison. I don’t want to compare the two of them because it sounds like I’m trying to replace Edison, but the fact of the matter is, she does so many quirky things like he did. Leila is still feisty and playful like she was as a kitten. She meows a lot and we have deep conversations. She loves to watch me play World of Warcraft, and my favorite is when she falls asleep on my shoulders. The weirdest, most painful thing Leila does is knead my neck and chew on my hair when I sleep at night or take naps. Those claws digging into my neck sure do hurt, but when she falls asleep on me, it makes the pain SO worth it.

I have several nicknames for Leila. I’m sure she thinks that her name is “Buddy.” I also call her a variety of names derived from “Siamese” which include Meesis, Meesa and Meesins. Matt and I both call her Buddy Pal because, well, she is a serious buddy pal.

I love Leila’s little kitten teeth. Her face is irresistible, and I’m glad she doesn’t mind me kissing it all the time. A lot of times I’ll catch her sleeping in her kitty condo with her little tongue sticking out. It’s basically the cutest thing ever.

Joey and Sadie love me, but they are definitely more independent cats. They’ve always been like that, no matter what I do. Leila is very much a mommy’s girl and I absolutely cherish every minute of it. She’s inspired me to write and share more about cats because our bond is so wonderful. I love Leila so much, and I thank God that she came into my life.