I almost let out an audible gasp when I noticed the small bald patch on my male cat’s head, right near his right ear. For a moment, I worried he had sudden feline male-pattern baldness. I went to investigate, hoping to get a closer look, but he was less than thrilled and made every attempt to escape my inspection. Eventually, I managed to examine the patch: dry, warm, and perfectly intact pink skin—nothing amiss except the absence of fur.
After peering into his ear canals, checking his other ear, and noticing my other cat scratching her ears as well, I realized the likely culprit: the new fish oil supplement I’d recently added to their diets to help lower chronic inflammation. Instead, I ended up with two itchy kitties and now have to wait for the next autoshipment, which will include an algae-based omega fatty acid supplement. Here’s hoping they’re not allergic to that one too.
Growing up, I loved animals and tried to convince my parents to let me foster cats and dogs—an idea they firmly shut down. We did get one family dog, who we all loved, but she was clearly my mom’s dog. My mom was home most of the time, bought her food, fed her, and took her to vet appointments. Occasionally I’d feed her, but often I’d be told I was feeding her too much, or it would turn out she’d already been fed by my dad that morning, and then feeding privileges would go back to the matriarch. For these reasons, Molly always felt like my mom’s dog, not mine.
I desperately wanted a pet I could bond with individually. I often pet-sat for other families—and still do on occasion. I mention all this to say that having pets now is my childhood dream come true. While I still look forward to having a dog that’s truly my own one day, having two cats comes pretty close to my ideal adulthood. I underestimated how many supplements they’d need, but seeing my dad lay out my grandmother’s meds feels like that—except I’m doing it for four-legged creatures who are much louder about demanding their meds, since it comes with treats. When I tell people that I want a dog or two—and maybe more animals over time—they think I’m crazy. But I also know people thought the amount of pet-sitting I did, or even just having two cats, would be too much for them. I can understand that; I’m not saying I’ll have all the pets I want at once. There was a period when I thought I wanted goats, a pet pig, and chickens. My fiancé put his foot down and said the pet pig couldn’t come inside the house, which ended that idea pretty quickly. Getting diagnosed with hEDS has also reframed things, reminding me how much I hate being out in the heat.
I’ve now shifted my focus to wanting pets that won’t be as demanding given my disabilities, and I’m not insisting on having them at the same time as the cats. In the future, I’d love to adopt two rescue rabbits—I think they would fit well with my restrictions and that I could provide them a good home. My stretch goal would be miniature horses, but that’s far less realistic than the pair of rescue rabbits. For now, I greatly enjoy my two cats, and the rescue rabbits remain a five- to ten-year plan.
For me, the real joy of having pets comes from being able to take part in their day-to-day care, building a unique bond through every small routine—feeding, playtime, even administering their endless supplements. No matter the species or number, it’s the connection that forms from these daily interactions that matters most. Whether I end up with just my two cats, a pair of rescue rabbits, or a whole menagerie one day, what’s most important is the chance to create those meaningful relationships through the simple acts of care and companionship.
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