My cat Phinneas is the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. He’s at the vet right now and I miss him terribly. We’ve only been together for four months, but that’s a month longer than my average human relationship.
He loves me in a pure way that shocks me. He follows me from room to room, not to berate me like my last human boyfriend did, but to love me and offer me affection.
He wants things from me, but they are all reasonable. He wants food and a clean bathroom and affectionate and play. He doesn’t want me to compromise my morals. He doesn’t want to drive my car drunk. He doesn’t want to hurt me.
Phinneas always knows when I am sad or in pain. He cares and tries to comfort me. He’s never the cause of my pain or sadness. He snuggles up tight beside me, resting in the crook of my arm and purring.
Phinneas doesn’t push me to overextend myself. Any day I need to spend in bed, he’s happy to spend with me. He doesn’t blow my money on beer or cigarettes or gambling. His recreational catnip habit is more than affordable.
Phinneas is a gentle soul. He never escalates a conflict or bites the hand that feeds him. He never calls me names or gaslights me or makes me think I’m going crazy. He just loves me.
He loves me without guile or games, without manipulation or malice. My life, especially my dating life, has been filled with so many destructive imitations of love, I forgot what it could feel like. Maybe I’ve never known.
What I know is that I needed this love, needed Phinneas. He may have been the one in a rescue, but he surely saved me. I’m endlessly grateful to the Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue for helping us find each other. You can support this free-range no-kill amazing rescue here.
