I am a blessed mother to two furry babies, Sade and Jasper. Jasper was my first, with an adoption certificate of April fools day in 2019, with Sade following a couple of years later in 2021. Their stories are unique, but universal in the sense that they were brought to me by the CDS, or the Cat Distribution System. The CDS works overtime and in mysterious ways, turning average humans into unexpected parents overnight. I feel like I was meant to find my cats and that they were meant to find me, like some sort of feline fate.
When I first met Sade, I thought she was a male cat. I arrived at the Airbnb in Saint Simons Island, Georgia, only to discover a beautiful tortoiseshell cat snoozing on the outdoor patio. We instantly took to each other. I remember sending the host a quick text, calling Sade a “he”, and she responded two things to me: One, that this breed of cat is almost exclusively female, and two, that I should keep her. Between the kitty cuddles on the outdoor couch, and the random cat carrier that was in my car, I quickly agreed. I remember feeling an anxious-longing feeling while inside the Airbnb, hoping that this cat would still be there in the morning. When it was time to leave, I got her in the carrier and secured it in the passenger seat with the seatbelt looped into the handle holding it snug. Despite her nervous meows, she would slow blink every time I looked over at her. The rest is history.
Then there’s Jasper. Classically orange, it wasn’t until later in life that I learned that orange cats are almost exclusively male. You might think that this is a cat thing, that their sex is determined by their breed, but no. Tortoiseshell and Orange tabbies are the only breeds that follow this strange pattern, and I happen to have one of each. I love my babies, as do visitors who come over and see them. There was one visitor in particular, one of the most unique people I have ever encountered, who shifted my perspectives often. Despite being a stranger, I let them couch surf with me for a period of time, and in return they purchased groceries for us, cooked, and kept me company.
One time, when we were talking on my balcony, this friend brought up cats and gender. “Why do we impose gender onto animals?” was the main idea, with thorough insights and revelations that I had only ever heard from them. Being a mostly cisgender woman, I had never given gender the detailed thought and scrutiny that most (if not all?) transgender and nonbinary people do. I loved living in Portland, Oregon for this reason; I was exposed to new perspectives and befriended or became community with many beautiful trans people.
So now I ask you, do you think assigning cats a gender is silly? Have you ever given it much thought? When is the last time you met someone who brought you perspectives you had never considered? Why are these cats staring at you? Ponder on, reader.
With love and well-wishes,
Bri
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