Leila With Simba

Simba’s Growing Bond: From Sleepless Nights to Heartfelt Moments

In the early months after Simba joined me, I decided not to buy him a separate cat bed, hoping to cultivate the habit of him sleeping with me. As I had wished, Simba stayed with me at night for a long time. However, when he was younger, he often tried to wake me up in the early mornings, eager to play. His playful energy was both delightful and a bit exhausting!

As Simba grew older, perhaps due to an incident where I accidentally rolled over on him while sleeping, he gradually stopped sleeping beside me. Though he no longer slept next to me every night, Simba often stayed on the bed, though sometimes he preferred to rest elsewhere. One night, I woke up to find Simba’s little head resting very close to mine. It was then I realized that he had been quietly keeping me company throughout the night without me even noticing.

Simba’s presence in my life has enriched it in countless ways. I began to adjust to the routine of caring for him, often resisting my own hunger to prepare his meals first after coming home from school. As any cat owner knows, cleaning up after your pet can be unpleasant, especially when they’re unwell. I vividly recall the first time Simba had diarrhea after eating too much hairball gel. The smell was so overpowering that I skipped both lunch and dinner that day! However, over time, I’ve come to accept that cat care requires patience—and sometimes a bit of discomfort, such as getting cat poop on my hands.

 

Simba spent four days in the hospital, during which I visited him once. I left feeling heartbroken, but Simba's “insatiable appetite” became a lighthearted topic of conversation among the nurses. The surgery was expensive, and this experience taught me the importance of pet health insurance. I now strongly recommend that all cat owners invest in health insurance for their pets, in addition to regular vaccinations, to help prevent such costly and distressing situations.

When Simba returned home, he was in good condition overall, although a circle of fur around his wrist had been shaved for the IV. We then switched to a nearby pet hospital where Simba required monthly follow-up exams. The doctor informed me that Simba would need to eat only specific prescription canned food from that point on. However, the prescribed amount didn’t seem to be enough to maintain his weight. Over the course of the next year, Simba’s weight dropped to below 8 pounds. In response, I tried various methods to encourage him to drink more water, as urinary blockage can easily recur in cats.

Looking back, I now realize that Simba had exhibited several clear signs of urinary issues before the initial incident. But due to my inexperience, I failed to recognize them until it was too late. The pain Simba endured during that time is unimaginable. While children can vocalize their discomfort, animals suffer in silence, making it essential for pet owners to stay vigilant and detect any potential health issues early on. This experience taught me invaluable lessons in pet care and opened my eyes to the importance of being an informed and proactive cat owner.

Simba's Separation: A Challenging Chapter of Our Journey

At the end of the year, when the pandemic broke out, I had to return to my home country, and I was separated from Simba for over seven months. Before that, I had spent nearly an entire year living alone with Simba due to the pandemic, relying on each other for companionship. While seven months may seem like a short time for humans, it is quite a long and significant period in a cat’s life. Thinking about it often fills me with sadness, and I can’t help but imagine how I will cope when the inevitable day comes for Simba to leave me.

Simba, with his brachycephalic structure, faces risks when flying, so I made the decision not to bring him on a plane unless I had to leave Canada for an extended period. I wanted to spare Simba from the dangers of air travel, as it could be harmful to his health.

Before I left for my home country, I entrusted Simba to the care of a trusted friend. They also owned a gentle Siamese cat, and I felt confident that Simba would get along well with it. My friend occasionally sent me photos and videos of Simba, which offered me comfort during my time away. Everything seemed fine until one night, when I had a vivid dream. In the dream, my friend and I were at the airport, walking in opposite directions with a great distance between us. Simba wriggled out of my friend’s arms, desperate to return to me. At the time, I thought little of it, but two days later, my friend's boyfriend contacted me seriously, explaining that after moving to Toronto, Simba had started defecating outside the litter box. This behavior upset their landlord, who urged me to find a new caretaker for Simba.

To this day, I find Simba’s behavior during our separation to be incredibly mysterious, as if his longing for me transcended the borders of countries and reached my heart. Before that time, Simba had never shown such unusual behavior, and I couldn't comprehend the reasons behind his actions. I was filled with panic and helplessness, desperately searching for someone to care for Simba while I was away.

Animals living under someone else’s roof are like children in the same situation, and I know Simba must have endured a great deal of emotional distress. The following year, I became very busy and often had to leave home. During that time, Simba began to relieve himself outside the litter box again, perhaps as a way to express his anger at my absence. Fortunately, I returned to Canada about a month later. Just before we were reunited, I felt a sense of anxiety, wondering if Simba might not recognize me after such a long time apart. However, the moment I picked him up, I could feel that he remembered me immediately.

In the days that followed, Simba would snuggle tightly by my side while sleeping—something he had never done before. I have no way of knowing just how much he missed me or how many grievances he had to endure during our time apart. All I can wish for now is to never be separated from him again.