When you walk into a store and see “Service Animal’s Welcome” on the door, the first animal to most likely come to your mind is a dog. In the summer of 2013, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I was seeking counseling, which really helped, but I also found other ways to cope. One of those ways was to go to our local animal shelter and see all of the puppies and kitties. Granted, I did have a dog and a few outdoor cats of my own at home, but seeing and playing with the other dogs and cats made me so happy!
The summer of 2014 was the summer before my senior year of high school. I had begged my parents to let me get a puppy. I knew it would help with my anxiety, but they did not like the idea of being stuck with a one-year-old dog when I went away to college in a year. So I decided to ask for an indoor cat. I have always had cats growing up, but they were only outdoor cats and I didn’t feel much of a connection to them because I never knew if they were going to be there long-term.
Both of my parents agreed to me getting a kitten, but I couldn’t adopt one on my own because I wasn’t 18 at the time. My mom ended up coming with me and I fell in love with this little gray fluffball. As I was falling in love with her, my mom was falling in love with her little brother who was a little black kitty and who just so happened to be free that month. We ended up adopting both, Olive (gray) and Webster (black).
They are my pride and joy! I left the next summer to go to college and couldn’t take them with me. I was really upset because they followed me everywhere, they were almost like dogs. Finally, in my second year of school, they got to move in with me. My grades started improving, my social skills improved, my whole life changed once they got there. Now, I am in my fourth year and I have recently registered them as “emotional support cats.” People laugh when I tell them that, but these two cats are my whole entire world. They follow me everywhere, sleep with me, know when I need extra cuddles, and even know when I’m stressed. People talk about how making your pet into a service pet is a joke, or is just so you don’t have to pay for them to live with you, but in my situation, it is not a joke at all. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have my two little support buddies.
Ellie
ellievoepel 