A Girl and Her First Cat
When I walked through the front door at the Seminole County animal shelter “just to look around” in April 2022, I had no idea that I would be leaving with my new best friend.
A bond between a girl and the first cat she adopts is like no other. I found this bond in the cat room that day.
Walking in, I had the perfect kitty pictured in my head. I wanted either a tortoise shell calico or a pale ginger tabby. I knew I needed a girl and I wanted a kitten, so she didn’t have any bad habits yet.
I checked in at the front desk of the animal shelter and they took me back to the cat area, where I had to wait outside of a glass door because they would only let one party in at a time.
Image Courtesy: Reanna Haase
I looked through the glass and saw this 20 lbs. brown tabby cat showing me her white tummy and making direct eye contact with me. I took a picture of the kitty because I thought she was so funny—she didn’t care about the family that was in there at all.
During my wait, they let me look at some rehab kittens in another room. They were so cute, but they were too sick to be with the others and I knew they weren’t kittens for me.
It was finally our turn for the cat room—I walked in and there were about 8 cats, all between the ages of 1 and 14. I walked up to and pet (or tried to) all the cats—I remember there was this one huge boy orange tabby, and I loved him.
He was just so clumsy and rough around the edges, just like my family orange tabby back home, but I just knew he wasn’t the one for me.
I sat down on the bench in the cat room and talked to the shelter worker about how often they get new cats-- because I thought I hadn’t found my baby yet.
Throughout this talk, 3-year-old Alexis sat at the end of the bench that I was sitting on. Alexis was the big brown tabby I saw through the glass door.
I feel bad now because I hate to admit that I didn’t pay her much attention prior to this talk.
While talking to the worker, I felt something warm on the side of my thigh. When I looked down, Alexis’ big yellow-green eyes were looking up at me. She moved down the bench and found herself a seat right next to me and rubbed her head all over me.
I asked the worker about her. What’s she like? What’s her story?
He told me that they had found her outside about two months prior, she was sick. After nursing her back to health, she got adopted. She got taken to what she thought was her forever home and after one week-and scratching one grandma- she was back in the shelter. She had been there for a month since she got brought back.
Image Courtesy: Reanna Haase
I just knew she picked me.
Long story short— after a Facetime call with my mom and sister, I gave the front desk lady $25 in exchange for Alexis in a box.
First, I had to change her name to be more fitting-- she was huge and kind of scrappy looking, she honestly just looked like a boy. She needed a unisex name.
I landed on the name Stevie. The same as one of my favorite people, Stevie Nicks—I just knew she would be deserving of the name. I also gave her a purple “necklace” so people would know she was a girl.
Slowly, Stevie and I grew a bond like no other. A bond that you can’t put into words— I loved her so much, but she annoyed me so bad. I would get mad at her, and she would get mad at me. I was just obsessed with her, and she was even more so—my roommates laughed because she literally followed me everywhere and would cry when I left the apartment.
Image Courtesy: Reanna Haase
I saw a TikTok one day that made me realize that others had found the same kind of bond that I had found with a 20 lbs shelter cat. It read--
“The love between a girl and her first cat is unexplainable.”
The comment section was filled with other girls just like me and it really just made me think. Stevie is my best friend, my daughter, my soulmate, my sister-- at times she’s even my mom. We are each other's main support system and I just think that is just something so beautiful.
Now I have spent thousands of dollars on her and I listen to people fat shame her all the time, but God, I’m so glad I walked into that shelter in April 2022 and found my baby.
Every girl needs a Stevie.
Seriously, go to the shelter.
Strike Out,
Writer: Reanna Haase
Edited by: Nina Rueda and Sarah Harwell
Orlando
Reanna Haase is the Editorial Director Assistant for Strike Magazine Orlando. She is the mom to her cat, Stevie (like Nicks) and her leopard gecko, Harry (like Potter). Follow her writing journey @byreannahaase on Instagram or reach her at reannahaase@gmail.com.
