🐾 I Thought I Was a Dog Person… Then Came Cutie

Abigail and Samuel have summer birthdays—August and September—so last year (2024), I found myself racking my brain trying to figure out what to gift them. No one tells you how stressful gift planning for your kids can be. Especially when you’re sharing those kids, right? (Friendly competition? IYKYK. 😅)

Something that had been on my mind for a while was their growing love for animals—especially dogs. Just like their mama. They’d see a dog on a walk and immediately want to pet it. We had to learn the whole “ask the human first” rule, and how “no” is just as okay as “yes.” So many teachable moments.

I’ve always loved dogs, too. Growing up, I wanted one so badly. But my mom, understandably overwhelmed with three kids, used to say she couldn’t take care of another living thing. And now here I was, a single mom of two, juggling school, daycare, zoo trips, camps, museums, church, family visits—you name it. Honestly, we were out and about more than Carmen Sandiego.

A dog would have been miserable from loneliness. But maybe… a cat?

I started joining every Facebook group you can imagine: “Cats in MA,” “Free Pets MA,” “Adopt Don’t Shop New England,” all of them. I posted in the spring of 2024, and by early summer, a very sweet teen messaged me to say her cat was pregnant and she’d be happy to give me one of the kittens. They were due in July and would be ready by early September. Perfect timing.

Of course, I made the mistake of telling my kids right away—rookie mistake. Never tell your kids anything until it’s happening that day, or else they will ask about it every single day until it happens.

The kittens were born July 10, 2024—about 6 or 7 of them. We got regular photo updates until pick-up time. Out of all the pictures, Abigail chose one tiny kitten and named her: Cutie Stars Fajardo. Yes. That’s her full name. First thing my adult brain thought? “That sounds like an adult film star name,” but hey, it’s her cat.

We picked Cutie up on a Sunday afternoon after church. The kids, my sister, and I drove to Lowell. The girl handed Cutie to Abigail… and Abigail dropped her. 😩

Cutie booked it. I sprinted after her—in chunky heels, no less. That 8-week-old kitten was fast. But I caught her, secured her in the carrier, and we headed home.

She’s been an indoor-only cat ever since. She tolerates the kids like a champ—especially Samuel, who low-key manhandles her with toddler love. She’s never scratched or hissed at them, just lets it happen. I always tell her, “Cutie, you let yourself get caught by a 3-year-old. I can’t help you, girl.”

Today, Cutie turns one.

She’s sassy, social, affectionate, and honestly the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen. She turned me—a fiercely devoted dog person—into a proud cat mom.

Happy Birthday, Cutie. We love you. 💛