My Furbabe Gus

Back in March 2019, my Best friend B and I were on our way to Petco to pick up some doggy supplies for her family’s new rescue puppy! Once we arrived at the store, I did what most pet lovers do and ran straight for the cat adoption center to see all the new adoptable kitties. There, I found Pooh-bear. He was the cutest, curious, and most friendly cat I had ever met, and I knew I needed to adopt him. At the time, he was 2 years old, weighed about 11 pounds, an orange tabby, and his name was Poohbear. As my friend was shopping for her puppy, Poohbear and I bonded through the tiny holes in his crate. Before leaving the store, I took a picture of Poohbear and his attached information. On the thirty-minute car ride home, I decided to call the number written on the paper, and apparently, it belonged to a lady named Sue. When Sue answered the call, I expressed my interest in adopting Poohbear, and she said, “No way! I just dropped him off at Petco for display this morning, I knew people would love him”. I had to ask… “Can I adopt him? What is the process”. At that moment, my best friend and college roommate yelled, “M! We have a no-pet policy”. I whispered to B and said, “Shh, don’t worry, I have a plan.” 

That night, I filled out all of Poohbear’s adoption paperwork and made a last-minute video call with my therapist. During that call, we discussed adopting an emotional support pet in order to help manage anxiety and depression. My therapist, Natalie, thought this would be a great idea since my roommates are moving out, and I’d be alone for the summer. That night, Natalie wrote a letter to the landlord stating that an emotional support cat would benefit me greatly if he could accommodate this within the lease for the upcoming contract. Given my good rapport with my landlord, he granted me the opportunity to adopt a furry companion. 

The adoption process took up to 7 days to process, so I had to wait until the following weekend to pick up my new baby. I was so excited! This was going to be my first pet as a single, independent young adult. A week later, when I arrived at Petco for adoption day, B and I were ready to take home our new college buddy, but I felt like the name Poohbear would no longer serve him. The minute I saw him again, the name Gus came to mind. Gusbus, Gustaru, Gustabean, gustamillion!!! Gus was the perfect name for a new furbaby. 

Fast forward to today… its been six years with my Gus and I cant believe he is 7 years old.

I love him so much 😻 #catsforlife