When Julia Stuller first came across her cat Callie at a shelter, the staff told her that she was “unadoptable” because of her aggressive behavior. Despite the shelter’s warnings, something about Callie touched Stuller’s heart, so she adopted her anyway, saving her from the euthanasia list.
Stuller found that Callie was as stubborn and hostile as the shelter had described. She decided to look into Callie’s history to understand why she was acting this way.
It turns out that Callie had given birth to two babies who’d passed away just days after they were born. Stuller immediately understood why Callie had been acting out.
“[Cats] have feelings, and they grieve, too,” Stuller told The Dodo.
Callie started showing her sweet side more when Stuller and her husband adopted two kittens. She treated the two babies as if they were her own.
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Soon after, Stuller found out she was pregnant. That’s when Callie started to really transform.
“When I found out I was pregnant, she wanted to cuddle on me all the time … It was so sweet. She started purring for the first time and making biscuits, which she’d never done before,” Stuller said.
The night before Stuller’s daughter was born, Callie was acting extra affectionate. Stuller had no idea why, since it wasn’t anywhere near her due date. But the next day, Stuller’s daughter arrived early.
As soon as Callie met Stuller’s daughter, she was smitten. She would cuddle with Stuller’s daughter in her crib or bassinet every single day, under supervision, of course. From that point on, Callie and Stuller’s daughter have been inseparable.
Now, Stuller’s daughter is almost 2, so she doesn’t always understand how to be perfectly gentle with a cat. But Callie has never once retaliated.
“Callie doesn’t care. She doesn’t bite. She doesn’t scratch her … I just think she thinks my daughter is her baby. Or she knows that my daughter is a baby. And I think it’s just so sweet,” Stuller said.
Even at such a young age, Stuller’s daughter realizes how special her relationship with Callie is. She steers clear of Stuller’s other cats for the most part, but loves spending time with her kitty best friend.
“She knows Callie’s name … She likes to say, ‘Callie cuddle’ [when] she wants to cuddle with Callie,” Stuller said.
Stuller’s takeaway from this whole experience is that people should always give cats a chance. Even if they don’t seem friendly at first, they probably have so much more love to give than you ever thought was possible.
