Madison Utendahl & Izzy

 

"My friends and I were out celebrating our college classmate's birthday one January night in Brooklyn. As I waited for my cab home around 2am, I was approached by an adorable small cat. I hesitated to pet her as I had only had dogs as pets. I decided to bend down and slowly stick out my hand to see if she would come closer. I was told stray and feral cats want nothing to do with humans, however, this sweet little darling behaved contrarily to popular belief. She instantly began purring and rubbing up against me. I looked up at my friends and grinned in disbelief. Understandably, they were shocked that I would engage with a stray animal. "She seems to really like you. You should keep her" said the bar's bouncer. I looked at him, smiled and in one swift movement, wrapped her in my scarf and jumped into a cab. She purred and kneaded the entire cab ride back to my apartment in the Financial District. While I had doubts because I also had a four-year-old dog named Lou, I had an unrelenting conviction that we would all get along. The next morning, I took Izzy to the vet and they checked her for fleas and any diseases and gave her vaccines. I spent the next few weeks looking to see if anyone had lost their precious cat. I was beyond thrilled to know that she was truly "up for grabs". I decided to name her Izzy after my best friend Isabel (@izzafacekilla). Isabel came to my rescue in college when I found myself the care taker of two cats that my former roommate had adopted on a whim. At the time I was still in college and living with my parents, who have cat allergies. My dear friend Isabel came to my rescue and still has those cats to this day! Naming Izzy (Cat) after Isabel (Human) is only an ounce of gratitude that I have for Isabel in a time of desperation. Izzy (Cat) is now an official member of my little family. Lou and I are equally obsessed with her and feel complete having her around. I am not someone who lives by the "everything happens for a reason" mantra, but Izzy coming into my life is undeniably meant to be. I love her with all my heart."@madison.utendahl is a native-New Yorker, animal lover and Creative Associate and Content Creator at @refinery29