Having a kitten was almost every thought that was on my mind. The parents heard pleading, promises, begging, and crying about the topic of getting a kitten in the household. They used every excuse in the book to not get a kitten such as the house was too small, I was too young and immature, they didn't want a kitten in the house, among other well known excuses. Imagine my face when they finally caved into my demands. This was a new responsibility for me and I couldn't wait to bond with my new kitten.

It was the summer of 2007 by that point and my mom went out on an errand. Little did I know she was going out to the SPCA to pick up a very special kitten as a birthday surprise. I was watching cartoons and sucking on a candy cane. Mom came home with a carrier with a tiny little furball in it. She went to the room where I was watching television and informed me of a surprise. I turn around and see this little kitten exploring the bed. My heart felt like it was melting and I started getting excited. I found out the shelter named her Pineapple. We were planning on giving her that name anyway so it stayed.

Little Pineapple gave out a tiny meow as two hands picked her up. The poor little thing was shaking like a leaf. Was it due to fear or nervousness? She calmed down after she was stroked gently and we let her start exploring her new home. She was inspecting every nook and cranny. She was a kitten on a mission! I went to the bathroom and that's when the trouble started.

There was a hole in the bottom of the red reclining chair no one knew about until Pineapple discovered it. I left the bathroom and panicked when I couldn't find Pineapple. Many thoughts started going through my head; I've lost my kitten already, my parents were right I'm not ready to have a pet, where is Pineapple, and my mother is going to kill me. My mom almost did kill me until we heard meowing coming from the recliner.

Confusion appeared on both of our faces. We went toward the recliner and checked to see if she was behind the pillow on the recliner. She wasn't and she meowed again. We swapped glances at each other as we realize she is in the recliner. I looked under it and see a tail peeking out of the bottom. I used my hand and found a hole in the bottom. Mom lifted up the chair and I gently got her out. She meows as relieve settles in. We waited for dad to get home from work and when he did he covered up the hole in the recliner.

A week later, Pineapple was chasing around a bell. She picked it up as I called her over. She came over to me and dropped the bell at my feet. I tossed the bell towards the other end of the room and Pineapple chased after it. Mom stopped reading as Pineapple returned to me with the bell. "She's playing fetch," I exclaimed.

Mom nodded her head in agreement. That was such an adorable discovery I had with Pineapple! Sometimes I wish she would play fetch with me again and not be the lazy old grumpy cat she is today. However having a kitten wasn't all fun and games. I had to teach her where the letterbox was so she could go to the bathroom and she had to be fed daily. She got used to the schedule quickly and was quite vocal about it when it was her dinnertime. To this day she still is and we often think she is complaining about everything as old folks tend to do.

When she was younger, Pineapple had a lot of hairballs. In the cartoons, hairballs are perfectly round and look somewhat cute. This wasn't the case with Pineapple's hairballs. They were ugly to look at and I've learned to hate the coughing sound that Pineapple used to make. Every time she started coughing I got up to be ready to clean the hairballs. Sometimes we got lucky and there was no hairball coughed up.

Occasionally Pineapple would insist on meowing at a closed door. This would happen as I tried to get dressed or when I was in the bathroom. She did it to mom and dad as well. One time she somehow got into the inside of the shower and we were looking everywhere for her. That time she was at the shower door meowing to get out. Everyone had a good laugh at that except for her.

Every time I don't feel well or get ill, Pineapple is always by my side. We grew up together and it shows. She lays down next to me so I can snuggle with her in bed. She also "helps" to get mom's attention when I rush to the bathroom to vomit. I do the same thing for her as well. She loves to be stroked and often falls asleep in my lap as she purrs contently.

Even though she is old and grumpy now, love still surrounds her and she is well cared for everyday. Things have changed ever since we first got her and she has a feline and canine sibling to play or complain to. Sure she may have gotten fat and lazy but we love her just the same. She is family and family has to stick together. Although sometimes I wish she would stop being vocal all the time and be active like her siblings. Another thing is that she has this glare that she is convinced will scare it but it doesn't. It's uncomfortable but anything but scary.

Pineapple has taught me how to care for animals and how to be responsible for them. The bonds between animals and their people can never be broken. We've gone through a lot together and I still remember being unsure of myself the first year she was with us. However that passed and to this day we are the best of friends.