2019 has been full of exciting developments, many of which I mentioned during another 12 Days of Anime post. Among these exciting developments is the adoption of my husband and I’s very first pet, Fuzz the cat. Fuzz is an extremely vocal, 17 pound Norwegian Forest Cat. His hobbies include: gnawing at our houseplants, waking my husband and I up at four in the morning every morning for his breakfast, and making a nest for himself in the bathtub when he thinks we aren’t looking. If that doesn’t give you enough of an insight into what it’s like to be a pet owner, consider watching winter 2019’s “My Roommate is a Cat”.
My Roommate is a Cat is low-key one of my favourite anime of 2019. Not only is the show cute, funny, and surprisingly touching, but it was also what drove me to want to adopt a pet in the first place. Subaru may have saved Haru the cat by picking her up off of the street, giving her a warm, safe place to sleep, and feeding her several tasty meals a day, but, inasmuch as Subaru saved Haru, Haru saved Subaru. She helped him to connect with other people (in a way that only a cute pet can), which, in turn, helped him to overcome his extreme social anxiety. Once Subaru was able to do that, he was able to approach life far more adventurously. In addition, once he (finally) realised that he was responsible for another living, breathing creature, he began making slow steps towards taking better care of himself. Watching all this really brought home the many benefits that owning a pet can have on your life. It took all my willpower not to rush out and kidnap the first animal I saw off the street!
Something that I really liked about My Roommate is a Cat is that it didn’t just focus on the cute and fluffy parts of pet ownership, but on the hard parts as well. Like how, initially, Subaru really struggled to maintain Haru’s weight… Subaru had never owned a pet before, so he would feed Haru these massive portions that Haru, having been a stray since birth, would greedily gobble up within seconds. Fuzz was also a stray, for a time, so I’m convinced that he has the same mindset as Haru, that being, eat anything and everything you can, you never know where your next meal’s coming from! So I can really relate to Subaru’s struggle to keep Haru trim. Another struggle that Subaru faced was the expense of pet ownership… The poor man was clearly horrified when he realised just how much he’d have to fork out for Haru’s necessities, like her toys and her carrier. He’d clearly been operating under the assumption that all she’d need was food, water, and a place to sleep! Ah, well. At least he didn’t spend $150 on a kitty condo his cat never used, like my husband and I!
But my favourite thing about My Roommate is a Cat is that it offered up, not just Subaru’s perspective on the events that unfolded, but Haru’s, too. There aren’t many anime that offer up an animal’s unique perspective on things (magical, anthropomorphised animals aside). It was pretty great, getting to see the reasoning behind some of Haru’s more puzzling behaviour. Whenever Fuzz is having a funny five minutes – maybe he’s trying to eat one of my scarves again or perhaps he’s running around the house like a bat out of hell for no discernable reason – I think back to this anime and how there was always a method to Haru’s madness. It makes me want to try to figure out what’s going on inside my cat’s strange little head instead of instantly berating or dismissing him. In other words, I truly believe that this show has made me a better pet owner…
Before you go, here are some pictures of my precious Fuzzball. What do you think? Cute, huh? Dieting tips welcome.
Watashi Wa Bucho!! 