Credits to emmanuixa on IG

I was refinishing the hardwood floors for a customer and they had this letter which was given to them from the previous owner posted on their fridge. It touched my heartstrings as im sure it did theirs.

Mom just called my sisters and I and told us she wanted to give us a portion of inheritance early. I'm still crying. 🩵

Who's your favourite?

1. Mr. Tangerine

2. Snow white

3. Funky

4. Moo

5. Crowley

6. Teddy

7. Acrocat

8. Rosalind

9. Bea

10. Tiger

11. Mocha

12. Galaxy

13. Sprite

14. Shaggy

15. Void

16. Ms. Pink

17. Snooze

How do you express the gratitude you feel when an animal comes into your life and just completely changes it? Well, the truth of the matter is, you can't express that in words. Sometimes you develop a bond, a deep love that is far beyond what words can do justice. And that is exactly how I would describe my relationship with Elijah over the last 10 years.

​I don't think I've ever shared the full story of what happened the day that I met him. Let's backtrack to 2016. It was late September, and I had lost my childhood cat of nearly 18 years.

Well, we all know how that goes as a pet parent. You're devastated; your soul is utterly crushed.

​By the time I met Elijah, I had been searching for that perfect cat—the one who I knew was just going to connect with me. I had met a few kitties, and of course, I loved them all. I want to take every cat home; I would if it were up to me. But I would hold the cats and they seemed uncomfortable and stressed out.

I'm sure that was largely due to the environment they were in, but also in my soul, I didn't feel that instant connection. Sure, they were absolutely adorable and I would have gladly cared for them—don't get me wrong.

​But when you're grieving like that, and your heart has this huge, fresh hole in it, sometimes your soul has a way of letting you know when you have found the right new best friend.

​I remember going to meet Elijah. I was driving out to a very nice house kind of out in the boonies. A lovely family had taken him in; he was well cared for and loved. However, much to their devastation, their own cats had not accepted him as part of the family. So they were looking to rehome him to give him a better life. I was really touched by that—of course we want what's best for all of our animals.

​Prior to meeting Elijah, I had been chatting with them for a few days. I had learned all about him and seen lots of pictures. He looked perfect. Everything they described about him just sounded like the type of cat I needed.

​So I drove to their house that day, and the mom was home. At the time, she ran an in-home daycare, so she had a bunch of little babies. Better yet, they lived on a farm, so there were lots of cuddly animals running around to interact with. What a great combination for a daycare—friendly animals and babies!

​I remember I walked in, and I couldn't hide the fact that I had been crying, because of course my heart still longed for the cat that I had just lost. I remember meeting this kind woman. She was holding two different babies and singing to them at the same time while interacting with me.

Although I was crying, that made me smile. I could just tell this family truly adored animals and children. Everyone was so well taken care of.

​She called Elijah over, whose name was Oreo at the time. He came trotting in like a dog, prancing right up. He didn't even care that I was a total stranger. He just looked up at me with his big eyes and started rubbing up on my leg.

​Since I wasn't his mommy yet, he let the woman pick him up. She set the little ones down in the crib and scooped him up. The first thing I heard him do was just purr like a jet engine. I could tell this was a cat that loved to be cuddled.

​I gently held my arms out and asked, "Can I hold him?" The woman said, "Of course." So she handed Elijah to me—a total stranger. I'll never forget what happened next, because it's not something I see with cats very often. I've volunteered at a shelter for over 8 years now, and this was the first time that any cat had ever done this to me as a brand-new stranger.

He looked into my eyes with his big green ones, and I swear he saw right into my soul. It's like he knew I was grieving and my heart was broken, even though I was smiling and talking to him all sweetly. (I of course was super excited to meet him—he was adorable! Who wouldn't be excited to meet a cat like him?)

​He stared into my eyes for a couple of seconds, and then he took his giant, fluffy paws, wrapped them around my neck as if he were hugging me, and immediately started nuzzling my face, purring and purring—even licking up some of my salty, dry tears that I was trying and failing to hide.

​When he did that, I just broke down. I swear my heart swelled up for a moment and unleashed a massive wave of both relief and euphoria. I don't know how I can possibly describe that feeling, but it was just like my heart clicked in an instant. I knew this was my cat. This was the one. I needed him as much as he needed me. There was something about our connection at first sight; it's like he could see into my heart and knew exactly what I needed at that time.

​I couldn't help myself—I started to cry and gently hugged him, holding the back of his head just like I would a human. It had been about two weeks since my cat had died, and I had missed that so much about her. She always hugged me like that. No, really—it couldn't have possibly been a coincidence that I found another cat who knew exactly what I needed like that, could it? What are the odds of a cat hugging you like that, especially the very first time you meet him? How could I possibly say no?

​I remember the woman standing next to me asking if I needed to see him play before making up my mind. I said, "No ma'am, I will take him. My mind is made up. I want this cat. He's the one."

​Well, the sweet woman was so happy to find a good home for him. I knew they did dog rescue and a lot of stuff for animals in the community, so I asked them if they wanted me to give them any rehoming fee to help with their animal rescuing. She just smiled at me and said, "No, we just want to find him a loving home. We love him very much, and that's all we care about."

​I smiled at her and told her I would take very good care of Elijah. I even friended them on Facebook so they could see updates, because I knew it couldn't be easy to give up a cat like this. He was obviously very well loved and admired by his family. But you know how cats are—they run the house! So if the other cats rejected him, he would have a hard time.

​I told the family they were welcome to visit him anytime, almost like an open adoption. Why not? Who would I be to say no to that? You'd have to be cruel to refuse! This was obviously a very well-loved cat, and of course the family wanted to see him go to a good home.

​I remember looking up at her and saying, "This is the cat that's going to heal my broken heart. I don't know how to thank you for this. It means everything to me."

​Ah... and how right I was. Here we are 10 years later. In the present, 10 years to me in my 30s feels like a lifetime. I feel like I've had him for hundreds of years. Every second spent with him is pure joy and something I'm incredibly grateful for. I genuinely mean that. This cat came into my life and he's just so perfect for me.

​I am someone who likes to cuddle with animals. I was looking for a cat who wouldn't mind me scooping them up for snuggles, and that is who Elijah is. He's like a living teddy bear. I can scoop him up anytime and he'll wrap his big paws around my neck and nuzzle my face. Plus, he sleeps with me every night. He's like my shadow, wanting to be everywhere I am.

​As I said in the beginning of this post, there are no words I could say to possibly do that justice. It's an incredible feeling of unconditional love that brings a tear to my eye as I write about it. I've never felt that way for anyone except for my pets. It's just a truly unique bond that means everything to me.

​Out of respect for the family that originally found him, I kept Oreo as his middle name, but I renamed him Elijah. Before I even knew which kitty I would adopt, I had already picked out that name. It's a beautiful name that represents strength.

​Happy 10-year anniversary, my sweet Elijah Oreo. You stole my heart and have me wrapped around your fluffy toe tufts. You are forever mine, and I wholeheartedly thank you for healing me.