Destined to you | Minchan • Banginho

Destined to you

Sitting on the couch while having dinner, I notice my cat watching me from a distance. It's been six months with him, yet it still seems like he doesn't have any affection for me.

I've always been fond of cats, so when I had the opportunity, I headed straight to a shelter. My eyes immediately fell on that little grayish cat, with white paws as if the ink had run out, resembling four mini socks. His pink, round nose was crowned by two large brown eyes with hints of amber. It was an intense gaze.

The cat was secluded, the eldest in the shelter even though he wasn't an old cat. When I wanted to take him home, I was warned that he was an aggressive cat and that's why he hadn't been adopted yet. But I didn't care about the warnings. And that's how that ball of fur that watches me from a safe distance came into my life.

I remember the first week of living together after I brought him from the shelter. It was a disaster. My arms were covered in scratches, even my face, which concerned the people around me. But I knew I just had to earn his trust. In honor of that first week and my new scars, I named that great warrior, Claws.

When I wake up in the morning, I find Claws vomiting as if there's no tomorrow. Concerned, I rush to the vet.

"Claws has a significant stomach virus," the veterinarian said. "So, you'll need to add three drops of this medication to each meal for two weeks and bring him back for a check-up after that time."

A couple of days later, back at the vet's office

"Seungmin, the thing is, if I include the drops in his food, he doesn't like it and won't eat it. So now it's a double problem. He can't eat and he won't take the medicine," I explain.

"Have you tried giving it to him with treats or something he really likes?" Seungmin asks.

"Yes, but this stubborn one refuses to eat it. It's like the medicine is a repellent to him," I reply in frustration.

"Alright, Minho, looks like we'll have to resort to Plan B, although I was hoping it wouldn't come to this given Claws' history of aggression."

I gaze at my veterinarian, Seungmin, waiting for him to reveal what could be so bad that it has him concerned for me. It's true that when I first brought Claws in, fresh from the shelter, and he saw all the scratches on my arms, he was astonished. He tried to give me advice, but it seems that Claws refuses to calm down. The veterinarian himself has to wear protective gloves if he wants to treat Claws.

"Well, it's just that you use a tube we'll provide and insert the medication through... the anus. But the good thing is, it would only be once a day."

"I'm going to have to go to the hospital to get stitches for all the scratches I'm going to have," I sigh.

Desperation must have been written all over my face because Seungmin hastened to offer me words of encouragement. Even with a model, he showed me the best ways to go about it. With some words of encouragement from him and the clinic's secretary, I set off towards an impending doom.

Before anything else, I stopped by the store and bought gloves, bandages, and... lubricant, as recommended by my dear veterinarian. As I headed to the checkout, the cashier looked at me with a face I couldn't quite decipher.

Once home, I am prepared for the battle. From my wrists to my elbows, my arms are wrapped in bandages. I have my gloves on so as not to touch Claws' rear end skin-to-skin.

I set a trap with some treats to approach him from behind and catch him off guard.

My body trembles with fear. If a regular owner with a cat they have a good relationship with should already be careful, I have to prepare for something ten or twenty times more intense.