Peter

Meow! Hey there, I’m Peter, a two year two month old black shorthair mix, currently residing in the Sunset Valley Petco location of Austin Pets Alive. I have to admit that it is not the greatest of homes to live in, but a home is a home regardless and I am quite grateful. On a brighter note, I have been adopted before though! The downside was that it was for a brief amount of time until my foster mom said I was too “needy”. I didn’t understand why; I just wanted to play with her and show her my genuine affection!

            So, then I was returned to Sunset Valley Petco. And to think I was out of that place for good. Darn! Alright, maybe I’m overreacting because the Petco really isn’t that bad. Usually I spend my time playing with the other cats there, such as Nate and especially my brother, Gustav! Nate and I are more alike in that we both are adventurous and curious and absolutely love to explore our surroundings. My brother, Gustav, on the other hand is more quiet and serene. He basically just sits in the corner and watches the rest of us play with our toys. Even though we are two very different cats, I still care for him like any sibling would and it almost broke my heart when he got adopted without me. I was so surprised when he was returned one day and we were reunited again! I see it as a sign that we are destined to stay together forever. I’m hoping we do because he is the only family I have left in this big, scary world.

            When people come to see us cats for adoption, I immediately get excited; my active and outgoing side comes out. I really do love interacting with humans, whether it be adults or children. I especially love it when they come to feed me treats! Although I have to say that I do fight for my share of the snacks, because Nate (a mere kitten), will pounce at the sight of food. My favorite part though is when the kind humans come and stroke my soft and luscious fur. They say things such as “Peter, you have an amazing coat of fur!” or “What a handsome boy!” As a matter of fact, I am willing to bet you ten fish shaped cat treats that I have the best fur and tail out of all the cats in that Petco location. You can call me egotistic, boastful, and/or narcissistic but I see it as knowing my assets and highlighting them in hopes that one day I can live with a loving and caring family that will appreciate my physical attributes as well as my personality.

            Even though I’m over two years old, I continue to act like a kitten. I love being in the center of attention and having people play with me. I think being mature and independent like Gustav is extremely boring! I’d rather be running around and keeping myself fit than to lay around all day long. That’s why his stomach is getting noticeably larger as the days pass. But don’t tell him I told you that!

            Now that you know more about me as a cat, let me tell you about something interesting that happened a week or so ago! Note that nothing interesting ever happens around here. So when this college student and two of her friends came into the room, I knew something was going down. We were released from our rooms to meet the teenagers and I immediately went up to her, the one that I had my bright green eyes on for the whole time. She came to pet me and I could tell she admired my soft, delicate fur as she could not stop petting me. Of course, she paid attention to Gustav considering that we’re brothers and whatnot but I knew she favored me more because I continuously came to her for the bag of treats she was holding. One time, I ate the treat directly from her hand and then licked her hand afterwards. It was my way of saying thanks! It was the least I could do since she said she would try to get me and my brother adopted together. I thought that was sweet of her. I hope that she comes to visit me more and one day in the near future, Gustav and I will be able to have a place to call home.

WORD COUNT: 755

From the very beginning I knew that going to an adoption center and interacting with animals was a key part of this course. I have to confess that even with that in mind, I was very wary and hesitant about this project as I’ve never had any pets before and have only interacted with my friends’ dogs. So I had the idea that I would only work with dogs. However, this experience was nothing like what I had envisioned it to be; in fact, it was quite the opposite! Because of that, I’m so glad that this was a new experience for me because it definitely required an open mind and it also increased my knowledge from just the facts that I read in textbooks to an actual firsthand experience. “Education beings in humility – in recognizing that we always have much still to learn” (Anthology 58). With that said, I’m thinking of this assignment as a way not only to learn about my cat, Peter, but also to extend my character and build my compassion, my empathy, and my sympathetic imagination.

My journey on this project started with Butterfly Nguyen, Hummingbird, and I going to the Austin Pets Alive! Head Quarters one Saturday but that was quite unsuccessful as the staff there either did not allow us to do this project or did not know anything about it. We tried again Tuesday after class, but this time at the Sunset Valley Petco due to Monkey and Manatee’s results. Before seeing the cats there, I had no idea which one I would write a bio for. But after the cats were let out of their individual rooms, I immediately had an inclination towards the two brothers, Peter and Gustav. I heard their stories of how they each got adopted and returned and was completely won over by the mere fact that they were separated. I’m glad that they are together now but the problem is that they are in need of a family and place to call home.

My favorite part of the whole experience would be just sitting on the floor and having the cats around and interacting with all three of us. Butterfly Nguyen had a fun time playing with Lilian, Hummingbird and Prudence shared a special bond, I favored Peter and Gustav, and Nate (the baby of the group) was all over the place. We also were allowed to feed the cats some treats and I was nervous at first of being so physically close to them but after a while, I become more relaxed and enjoyed myself during the hour that we were there. I could pick up on each cat’s unique personality, such as Gustav was always separated from the rest of the group or the fact that Nate and Peter would be anxiously waiting in front of me for treats. Lilian just hid underneath the table the whole time and Prudence was calm and quiet. I got to interact with cats on a personal level and I felt a connection with Peter and Gustav. All in all, the hour spent there was well worth it.

I would have to say that the hardest part of this project would be writing from the point of view of Peter. I had to look into his mesmerizing green eyes and actually put myself in his black paws. As a person, I have trouble thinking about what others are feeling since I am quick to judge and make assumptions. I can sometimes be oblivious to what people are feeling even though their exterior shows otherwise. Therefore, I was wondering how I could possibly imagine what Peter is going through if I can’t even do that with people. I’m thankful that the UGS courses, this one in particular, “are meant to help students think differently about their classes and connect them to real life.” (Anthology 38). If I had gone through college without taking this class, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to practice sympathetic imagination by putting myself in an animal’s perspective. Furthermore, I can definitely relate in the statement that “college students want to be part of a different and better world, but they don’t know how” (Anthology 38). I’ve always said that I want to make a difference in society but I never thought about making a difference in the animal society until now. I feel accomplished with the effort that I put into this assignment, not only for the grade but because of the fact that I contributed to a cat’s attempt to find a home. At the end of the day, that is what really matters: each of us helping each other in this world, humans or not.
WORD COUNT w/o quotes: 736
WORD COUNT w/ quotes: 783
Total word count w/o quotes: 1491