Today my precious cat, Venus, turns three! I am so grateful for all of my time with her. She truly enriches my life, lends emotional support, and offers wacky entertainment.

Anyone who has ever had a pet knows how strong that bond is. Animals teach us so much about our own wild nature. They offer unconditional love and are always there to listen to your troubles, without any judgement.

It was October 2016 when we first met and I was wrapping up my last semester at Del Val. She was so unbelievably tiny! Her eyes were permanently wide as a kitten — in constant awe and bewilderment at the world around her. So innocently curious and adventurous she always has been.

She loves being outdoors! At first I let her roam around free (while living with my parents) but it made me very nervous after hearing so many horror stories about car accidents, so I leash-trained her. I try to take her on walks whenever I can.

Venus is so sweet and absolutely adores attention. She is shy at first but warms up quickly to anyone. It makes her so happy just to get some cuddles. Sometimes too much affection gets her so excited that she can’t even handle it and so she starts biting and scratching — in a playful way — and you have to calm her down.

And then sometimes she gets in her “moods” and acts really sassy. She will pee on everything or she’ll attack me, scratch me, jump in front and try to trip me. She can be so bad!!!

But still I love my princess so much and don’t know what I would do without her!

Happy birthday, V!

Xoxo, your crazy cat lady mama.