Author: Alanis Gonzalez gonzalez@grinnell.edu

My cat Mochi hasn't let me sleep for several weeks.   

For everyone who keeps cats, I know you know what I'm talking about. It may be 3 o'clock in the morning, and if your cat wants to be noticed, you get up. Unless you have an old cat, in this case, you may have already paid the dues. Mochi is only one year old, and I feel that some of it is cat behavior, and some of it is just her personality. The good news is that Mochi's crazy behavior makes me laugh and also makes me get up. These two things can be very challenging on some days, so they are some of Mochi's main achievements.  

I adopted Mochi in October 2020, when her photo appeared in a group chat outside Grinnell. At that time, the mochi was about three months old and could fit into the spine of a small book. (I have photos to prove this.) Her first few nights were exciting, but... stressful. My roommate’s cat, Toph, has a sense of territory for our small apartment on High Street and is not satisfied with the existence of Mochi. This feeling is mutual. My bedroom door is not locked. No matter how many boxes and various heavy objects I put in front of the door, Tove can always break into my room and chase around the mochi. Although the mochi is fierce, it looks like she can eat it in one bite. Until they get closer and closer as they are now, I can let myself leave the house without feeling a strong panic. What should I do if the mochi is injured? What if she gets lost in an unknown corner of the house? What if someone steps on her? At that time, she was easily missed when she was napping on the floor; she looked like a plush toy. 

Mochi didn't help her case much. She managed to try everything that could mean danger: hovering behind the stove, jumping into the toilet, and booking it to the front door whenever someone opened it. Does she want to be eaten by a raccoon? Do raccoons eat cats? As we have determined, many of these fears may be unreasonable. But despite this, I have always worried about happiness; I have become a helicopter cat mother.   

This is part of the story. I tell everyone that I have become accustomed to her wandering. In the end, I barely blinked. Spoiler alert: I don't. As she grew up, she realized that if she practiced enough, she could jump to almost any surface in a given home. When she was a kitten, she was afraid of greater distances, even if she tried to get down from her cat tree, she would almost fall to the ground. It is safe to say that when she weighs more than four pounds, that stage is over, and now I find her at the top of a very, very high bookshelf. She also learned that (shocking) food is often placed on the kitchen counter, including fresh fruits and vegetables that she can try.  

The irony behind this is that I adopted mochi to eventually register her as an emotional support animal. So, this is what I am curious about: Does your ESA make you too stressed? Is this controversial? If it is the result of a disastrous imagination, I would not be surprised (ha. Understand?).  

In any case, the pressure is always worth it. Mochi always knows when I am sad, and when I struggle to complete my never-ending task list, it will curl up next to me. She is also the best reading partner. Throughout the summer, we spend most of our free time curling up on reading and drinking summer adult beverages. (The adult drinks are for me. Mochi is a baby.) She is also a good designated travel companion and spends most of her time in her cat cage. She was very comfortable after returning home, and I am grateful that I made such an impulsive decision in the middle of the pandemic.   

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