Kiara Pace & Pepper
Today is an iconic day. It’s Pepper’s 4th birthday! How cool is it that we get to honor my baby Pep with her first-ever photoshoot?! Pepper goes by many names: Pepper, Pep Pep, Pepperoni, Pepper Potts, Pep Step anything Pep related and it’s hers. Pepper loves Q Tips, zip ties, and amazon boxes. Her favorite things are nap time at 1pm every day, hopping on the kitchen counter in hopes to find hot wings, and sunbathing under our skylight.
I never expected to have a cat. I went to the shelter with my roommate to help her find a cat and carry cat supplies. When we got to the shelter we saw 2 kittens left from a litter and one had an extra thumb and one was all black (Pepper). My roommate immediately fell in love with the polydactyl cat and I felt an instant connection with Pepper's playful energy. She was not shy! She immediately grabbed my face with her paw and licked me. I was in love but still didn't plan to keep her until the staff told me that the likeness of a black cat being adopted was very slim due to it being Halloween season. Not on my watch! Next thing I knew I was heading home with a cat of my own.
Like I said Pepper has NEVER been shy. She lives life by her own rules, she’s a talker, we talk every day. If I leave for too long and come home late, she will sound off and let me know how she feels. She’s also an explorer, sometimes too good of an explorer. Feb 14th, 2019 Pepper went missing. We searched EVERYWHERE, the apartment, the apartment complex, the neighborhood, I made flyers, I even followed the bodega cats to their secret locations, nothing. I was SHATTERED. I sat on my porch and was crying uncontrollably, and then out of nowhere, Pepper started chatting it up behind me, the whole time she was napping in a hole under the stairs, and apparently, my crying was interrupting her sleep.
Pepper has been through a lot of changes with me. Being new to New York I moved a lot, new roommates every year, I travel often and Pepper stays undefeated. Her love never changes, her energy is contagious and if all else fails she will definitely make you laugh with her daily antics.
Having a cat has changed my life in ways I didn’t even imagine. When I got her I didn’t expect her to be such a huge part of my life. I grew up with pets but because they were never really my responsibility I didn't understand how important they were. Pepper came into my life at the perfect time. I was fairly new to NYC, I had no family here and six roommates. Even though my house was filled my heart was empty. I didn’t realize how much I needed unconditional love. Pepper filled that void for me, she was there when I went to sleep, and right there in my face when I woke up. It has been four years now and I can’t imagine going a night without having her by my side. During some of my darkest times, Pepper would lay next to me and purr and knead me while I cried. When I’m sick she's right there next to me, trying to eat my snot tissues. When I’m sleepy she's right there ready to nap, no matter what time it is. Is it crazy to say I think I already found my soulmate?
Kiara Pace is a model and actress originally from Tampa, Florida, now based in Brooklyn NY. When she's not on set, Kiara is either bartending, traveling, or binge-watching her favorite tv shows for the 1000th time.