Chelsea Stone & Phoebe
Phoebe is a quarantine kitty through and through. I’d been toying with the idea of adopting a cat for months—I’d only had dogs growing up, but several friends had urged me to consider getting a cat, especially as someone living in a teeny studio apartment—but when the pandemic hit and I knew I’d be working from home for at least a few weeks (ha!), it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally bring one home. Lucky for me, I spotted a 4-month-old former feral cat on Petfinder. A small gray tabby with a very squishy face. I reached out, visited Bideawee Manhattan the next day, played with this spunky kitty for about an hour, and then I brought her home. Suddenly, I had a cat! The next day, New York’s stay-at-home order went into effect.
Luckily, that cat turned out to be Phoebe. All I knew about her was that she had been found in Suffolk County, but later, due to some online detective work on my part, I discovered a local cat rescue group had found her while TNRing (trap, neuter, return) feral cats. They thought she was sweet enough to be adopted into a home and brought her to a shelter. I feel so grateful that they made that choice so she could become part of my life, and I’m reminded of it whenever I look at Pheebs’ little notched ear, which is meant to be an indication to future TNRs that a feral cat has already been spayed.
Phoebe is a sweet, extroverted girlie with a mind of her own! Beloved by all who meet her (even proclaimed cat haters), Phoebe loves all people too, and she isn’t shy about asking even new friends for pets. She’s very snuggly and affectionate—but only on her terms. She definitely enjoys her alone time if she’s feeling too smothered, and we respect boundaries in our house!
“It was just the two of us alone in my studio for our first few months together, and what should have been an extraordinarily lonely, scary time for me was made heaps better by having her to love and care for. ”
Phoebe is 2 years old now, but she’s still a kitten at heart. She loves to play with her toys (and things that aren’t toys) and be chased around the apartment. Sometimes she pops out from behind doors and bats at my ankles in an attempt to “scare” me. A total goof.
As independent as Phoebe is, she loves to be the center of attention. She gets especially jealous when I FaceTime my mom—I think she can recognize her voice through the phone! To get my focus back, she lays on her back and looks up at me with sad eyes, knowing I can’t resist giving her belly rubs.
Phoebe also loves to play “soccer” with her kibble. She scoops it out of her bowl and kicks it around the apartment in order to then pounce on it as though she’s hunting. It’s very cute, and also the reason I’m constantly vacuuming.
Phoebe is the embodiment of a curious cat—she loves to explore and no matter what I’m doing, she wants to be involved in her own cat way. Cooking a meal? She prefers to sit on the counter and watch. Working at my desk? She’d like to lay on the keyboard. Folding laundry? She’ll lounge right on top of the pile. Brushing my teeth? She’ll hop right onto the sink to participate.
The timing of Phoebe’s arrival into my life was truly perfect. At a moment when the world felt crazy and uncertain, she was and remains a source of light and joy in my life and a major grounding force. It was just the two of us alone in my studio for our first few months together, and what should have been an extraordinarily lonely, scary time for me was made heaps better by having her to love and care for.
Even though the world has opened back up, Phoebe and I remain pretty inseparable—she’s actually a great traveler and has already flown on several cross-country flights in my lap! I’m an anxious person (and turns out, an anxious cat mom too), but one look at her smushy face, and I can’t help but smile and laugh. It feels like we take care of each other; whenever I’m sad, she comes over, sniffs my face, and watches over me until I feel better.
Chelsea Stone is a senior commerce editor at CNN. She resides with Phoebe on New York City’s Upper East Side.