Pets n Story

Okay, I know this sounds bizarre, but it started a few months ago.

Every night, just before I turned off the lights, my cat, Mira, would hop onto the couch and stretch out beside me. I didn’t train her or anything—it just happened. One night, I held out my hand jokingly and said, “Good night, partner.”

And she reached her paw out.

Touched my palm.

Then curled up and fell asleep.

I thought it was a fluke. But the next night? Same thing. Then the next. And the next.

It became our little ritual. Like some weirdly adorable agreement that we’d both made silently.

I’d say, “Ready for bed?”
She’d stretch her paw to my hand.
Boom. Sleep time.

It got to the point where I couldn’t go to bed without it. If I forgot or got distracted, she’d stare at me with those big, golden eyes, as if asking, “Where’s my handshake?” It made me laugh, but I couldn’t help but wonder what had sparked this strange routine.

Was she just being quirky, or was there something deeper behind it?

But last night… last night was different.

I came home late from work, tired after a long day. I had barely set my things down when Mira jumped up onto the couch, as usual. But instead of her typical cheerful paw stretch towards my hand, she just curled up in the corner, her back to me. She didn’t even look at me, which was strange. Mira always had this way of letting me know she was there, always had a bit of her attention focused on me, even if she was sleeping.

I tried not to think too much of it, thinking maybe she was just tired or wanted her own space. But as the night wore on, I noticed her restlessness. She was shifting around, meowing softly, but not in her usual playful way. It was more like a low, worried sound.

I sat down beside her, brushing her fur. “Mira, what’s up?” I asked, almost in a whisper, though I didn’t expect an answer.

She didn’t respond, but after a few moments, she did something I wasn’t expecting—she looked at me. Not just a glance, but a deep, almost searching stare, like she was trying to communicate something. It felt different, more serious than our usual exchanges. I felt a small chill run down my spine.

I extended my hand toward her, gently this time. “Ready for bed?” I said, trying to get back to our usual routine.

But she didn’t offer her paw.

A wave of unease washed over me. Mira had never, ever skipped our ritual. It felt… off. And I didn’t know why.

I tried again, a little more insistently this time, “Come on, Mira. You know what we do before bed.”

But she didn’t respond. She just lay there, looking at me with a strange, unreadable expression. My heart began to race, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

As the night went on, Mira stayed by my side, but she wouldn’t sleep. She paced around, her meows growing more anxious, her body tensing up.

Finally, I decided to try something. I grabbed her favorite toy, the little feathered mouse she loved to chase, and dangled it in front of her. “Mira, look, I’ve got your mouse!” I said, hoping the familiar distraction might help calm her down.

But she didn’t show any interest in it. Instead, she stared out the window, her eyes fixed on the dark beyond, her ears flicking back and forth as if listening to something I couldn’t hear.

I was starting to feel genuinely worried. Was there something out there that was bothering her? I checked the window—nothing. The street was quiet, as usual. Still, the way Mira was acting, it was like she sensed something I couldn’t.

That’s when it hit me. There was something in the air lately. A strange feeling I hadn’t been able to put into words. A sense of unease that I couldn’t shake, even when I was at work, even when I was out with friends. Lately, things had been a little… off. Small annoyances piling up, things breaking for no reason, even a few weird coincidences. It was all so subtle, but I started to wonder: was I ignoring something important?

I went to bed that night, unable to shake off the unease. Mira eventually settled next to me, but she kept her distance, curling up at the foot of the bed, not touching me. The way she slept, tense and still, wasn’t like her at all. The warmth and comfort I usually felt next to her were absent.

The next morning, I decided to make an appointment with the vet, just in case there was something physically wrong with her. I knew it could just be a minor thing, but given how out of character she had been the night before, I wanted to be sure.

I dropped Mira off at the vet’s office, and as I sat in the waiting room, I reflected on the previous night. Why was it that her behavior had suddenly changed? Was it just a phase, or was something deeper at play?

The vet called me into the room after a short while. “Mira’s doing fine physically,” she said, looking over her clipboard. “There’s nothing wrong with her health. But…” She hesitated for a moment. “There is something unusual I want to mention.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems like she’s experiencing some anxiety. This isn’t uncommon, but in her case, it’s quite severe. It might be related to environmental factors or something emotional that’s affecting her. It’s possible that something in your life recently has shifted, and it’s impacting her more than you realize.”

I was stunned. “But she’s always been so relaxed, so calm. What could have changed?”

The vet looked at me kindly. “I’m not sure, but I do suggest trying some calming treatments for her. If you’d like, I can prescribe something to help with her anxiety, but I also think it would help to consider any recent changes in your routine or surroundings that might have affected her.”

I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. “I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

When I got home, I immediately looked around, as if something in my environment could give me the answers I was searching for. And that’s when I noticed it. The little things I had been dismissing as mere annoyances, they suddenly seemed clearer. My work had been stressful lately, I had been traveling more, and there was tension in my relationship that I hadn’t been fully acknowledging.

Mira, my little companion, was more attuned to my emotions than I had realized. She had been picking up on the shifts in my life, the unease and frustration I had been burying. And it wasn’t just her paw handshake that had changed. It was her way of trying to comfort me, of warning me. She wasn’t just reacting to the environment; she was reacting to me.

The next few days, I made a conscious effort to relax, to let go of the tension I had been carrying. I spent more time with Mira, playing with her, letting her see that things were okay. And slowly, she started to return to her old self—offering her paw again before bed, curling up beside me, her soft purrs filling the quiet of the night.

And then, one night, just as I was about to turn off the light, she did something I hadn’t expected. She reached out her paw, not for the handshake, but for a hug.

It was a simple gesture, but it meant everything.

The truth is, we often forget how deeply our emotions affect those around us, especially our pets. They’re more connected to us than we give them credit for. They pick up on our stress, our worries, our happiness, and our fears. And sometimes, all they want is for us to pay attention to the changes within ourselves. When we take care of ourselves, it has a ripple effect on those we love—both human and animal.

So, I guess the lesson here is simple: take care of your emotional well-being. Your pets are watching, and they feel everything. And in the end, taking care of yourself isn’t just about you—it’s about everyone who shares your life, in big ways and small.

If you’ve ever had a pet teach you something important, share your story. Let’s remind each other to slow down, listen, and pay attention to the signs around us.