Meet Aspen

If you know anything about me, you know I'm crazy for cats. They've been my best pals for as long as I can remember, but for my first three years of college, I had to live without one and gosh, was it hard! Now that I'm living in an apartment, I'm so so so happy to say that I'll never have to go without again! Which leads my into the whole point of today's post...

Back in June I posted a photo on Instagram of this little cutie with little to no explanation, and before I continue to let my inner cat lady shine, I thought I should give her a formal introduction! So, meet Aspen! She was a stray in my college town (I'm a sucker for strays), and I brought her home at the end of the semester in May. She's almost two years old, and we're basically inseparable now! 

So, let's talk about how the two of us ended up together. Back in April, I was living in my sorority's house when she decided to hang out and beg for food on our front porch. It was a smart move on her part because out of the 60-something girls living there, there was plenty of people who couldn't resist her cute face and meows. Everyone ended up calling her Patti the porch cat, and a couple of girls made her a cardboard box with blankets to sleep in. On several occassions I remember walking through our foyer and seeing her sitting on our window sill begging to come inside. 

At the time, I made a conscious effort to avoid the front porch at all costs, which was totally out of character for me. We'd had a couple of stray cats swing by before, all of which I'd taken the time to hang out with. But, none had stayed this long, and I didn't want to get attached! Although, despite my efforts, my friend Nicole convinced me to go out and play with her one night. Here's a picture! 

Shortly after that night, someone's friend agreed to take her in for the rest of the semester, and I didn't really think about her again until the girl who was housing her was looking for someone else to take her home once summer arrived. At this point, I was planning on adopting a cat after Memorial Day, and hoped someone else would take care of her. Well, as fate would have it, the end of the semester kept getting closer and closer, and no one had offered to take her yet. It was only two days before the I was set to head back to KC when my friends Hannah and Makenzi walked into my room begging me to take her home. 

They listed off every reason I should take her home – the main one being how cuddly she was – and pressured me for hours until I finally caved. I called my mom asking what she would think if I brought a cat home from school, and needless to say, she was not surprised haha! The one condition was that I bring her to the vet to get the necessary shots before I came home since my family had another cat and other pets. 

The next morning, I woke up bright and early to drop her off for her vet appointment. I was expecting it to be nice and simple, but boy, was I wrong. Hannah went with me to pick her up a few hours later, but what the woman at the front desk said upon my arrival made both of our jaws hit the floor. The cat I agreed to take home was PREGNANT. Definitely not what I was expecting, and it took me more than a few moments to soak the news in. But, we proceeded on the two hour drive home, and we've been living happily ever after since! 

The first order of duty after making it home was changing the name. As great as the name Patti was when she lived on my sorority's front porch, it had to go! Instead, I decided to name her Aspen because her fur's mixture of colors reminded me of the beautiful, forested town in Colorado my family had visited the summer before. 

Since living with her, I have discovered she has quite the array of quirks, too. All of which are adorable! She only likes to be held like a baby. She'll lick my nose any chance she gets. She is obsessed with milk. She enjoys playing with shadows on the wall. She loves fuzzy pillows and blankets and will sleep under the covers at night. Basically, she's the perfect cat for me! 

I hope y'all enjoyed getting to know a little more about my furry friend because you'll be seeing her a lot more around here from now on! I hope you all are having a great week, and let me know if you are a fellow cat person in the comments below!