Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Every week, we share a story from one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is about Crystal and her soul cat, Ivy.

Hi Catsters!

I’m Crystal. I work in the marketing department for Catster. You may have seen some of my posts on our social media and listened to some of my tales on our YouTube channel.

Growing up, we always had dogs. I considered myself to be a dog person! That was until I moved in with my fiance, had a place of my own, and met my soul cat, Ivy.

My fiance would have to leave town often for work, leaving me alone in a quiet house. One thing to know about me: I HATE being alone.

As we lived in a complex, it’d be unfair to have a dog in such a small space. The yard was teeny tiny, and with so many residents already complaining about other dogs in the complex, I had to look for other options to find companionship.

This was when I set my heart on adopting a cat. With so many beautiful kitties waiting for their forever homes in shelters, the most difficult part was convincing my fiance. I begged, I pleaded (I perhaps even cried) for weeks on end.

Eventually, he gave in. I already had so many adoption posters saved on social media, and I found it impossible to choose one. Why couldn’t I have all of them?

One day, I opened Facebook and saw this post:

I can’t explain it, but I knew this was meant to be my cat. I immediately called the number. The lady said that because this kitty has such a unique coat and is long-haired, there was a lot of interest already, but she would keep me updated.

Later that day, she gave me a call and let me know what I’d have to do in order for her to decide whether I was the best potential cat mom – I had to send through a video of our apartment, a pet approval document from our complex, and be prepared to pay an adoption fee of around $150. This would include her first vaccinations and spaying procedure.

Long story short, two days and a lot of preparation later, I was on the way to pick up my kitty after she had been spayed!

I knew I’d love her, of course, but I was so nervous. Would she love me? Would I be a good cat mom? Would she only be around when it was feeding time?

All of those worries were put to bed pretty much immediately. She was friendly and affectionate and seemed truly grateful to have found a safe, loving home with us. Over time, with a lot of patience and reassurance (and treats), we built an amazing relationship.

The bond I have with my cat is unlike any other bond I’ve had with previous animals we’ve owned.

And yes, my fiance adores her – she stole his heart the moment he laid eyes on her and now accompanies him while he gets ready for work early in the mornings.

Of course, cat ownership doesn’t come without its own set of unique hurdles and challenges…

I’ll be sharing some more of my life with Ivy – the good, the bad, and the ugly – on Catster.com in the weeks to come!