You know looking back, I am so incredibly glad that that pet store had icy cold air conditioning.
- I know that is a weird thing to say, but let me explain why.
About 10 years ago, I moved out of my parent’s home and into my first apartment. I was really excited at first, but it didn’t take long for the excitement to wear off and the loneliness to set in. Most of my friends were older than me, and already had families of their own. Being the youngest of my friend group was difficult, because I couldn’t relate to them on a lot of things anymore. I ended up going to a pet store to look, not to get anything. I noticed the cold A/C there, but I was wearing a jacket, so I was not bothered. As I passed one cage, I noticed a tiny black kitten shivering. The poor little thing was all alone, with no blankets, shivering really badly. Right then, I felt so bad for the poor little thing. I had never had an interest in pets, but a part of me wanted to save the little guy. So I adopted him, and went through the long journey of learning about cat care and behavior. That quick decision turned out to be the best one, because that kitten filled a hole that I didn’t know I had. This kitten helped teach me empathy and compassion for small animals. Now my cat is a full adult, and as he falls asleep in my lap, I think about all of the things I would have missed out on had I not adopted him. If that pet store didn’t have an incredibly cold HVAC system, I would have passed right by his cage without a second glance.