Latrice Thompson, Hamlet & Mozart
Left to right: Latrice, Hamlet, and Mozart
In 2010, I was living in Brooklyn, but I would visit my mom in Harlem on occasion after work. My mom lived on the first floor and always had her window open without a screen. Sometimes random stray cats would jump through and enter her apartment. We would put them back out, since my mom already had two cats of her own. One day I found Hamlet, a Birman Ragdoll mix, in my mom’s closet. We thought someone was missing this beautiful cat because he looked lost and confused. My sister and I first went to the ASPCA to surrender him, but they said they couldn’t take him and we should go to Animal Care and Control (ACC). ACC was the one that picked Hamlet’s name. When they receive an animal, they look in a baby name book and choose a name based on the letter in the alphabet they’re on.
The lady at the front desk said, “Well we’re up to the letter H….hmm, let’s name him Hamlet.” We were like, Oh ok. We were hoping someone would claim him, but 48 hours passed and no one did. ACC said I could adopt him if I wanted. I had three days to decide if I wanted to take him. I already had a cat and I wasn’t sure if I wanted two. Adoptions opened that following Monday at 10am. I took the day off from work to travel from Brooklyn to Harlem, where ACC is located and got there at 9am to sign the adoption papers. He’s been with me ever since.
As years passed and I started to travel more, I felt terrible leaving Hamlet alone in the apartment. My sister and friends would care for him while I was away, but I felt like he needed a companion. In 2017, I adopted Mozzie, a Nebelung, from a rescue in Petsmart. Grey is my favorite color, so seeing Mozzie was love at first sight. His long luxurious grey silky coat is such a sight to behold. They have two totally different personalities, but I can see a difference in Hamlet’s attitude when I come home from vacation. He doesn’t look sad anymore now that he has company.
Hamlet is very regal, sweet, loves attention, and being caressed. He’s such an amazing cat. I have an actual oil painting of him that someone gave me as a Christmas gift. Yes, I cried when I received it. He’s an angel that fell out of the sky and he makes me feel better when times are difficult.
Mozart is the opposite of Hamlet. Very unique, observant, and affectionate towards humans. I just learned that when Mozzie gets nervous or anxious, he gets sweaty paws. Mozzie loves to lick your face, cuddle, and give love bites. I always say he's still learning how to cat! Mozzie lies on his back a lot and doesn't sleep like a normal cat, but it's so cute. He loves to watch bird videos on YouTube, and I usually have that on for him. Hamlet couldn’t care less about the videos. It took awhile for Hamlet and Mozart to get along. Longer than I thought from my experience of having two cats, but after a while, they started to tolerate each other.
Hamlet and Mozzie are now friends. They both sleep with me at night, but they take turns cuddling with me.
The three of us are a family and I love coming home to my boys after a long day and seeing them greet me at the door. It doesn’t matter if they’re saying “hi, I love you” or “feed me now, where have you been”, it still brings joy to my heart.
Latrice Thompson grew up in the South Bronx and now resides in Brooklyn. She's a digital ad tech media professional of 12 years. She is currently a new business owner of Palette Pots, an e-commerce store for plant parents who need beautiful bold colored planters.