I was fortunate to have met my cat in 8th grade. She was owned by a friend of a friend at the time, as a black cat assumed to be male. At the time, for me, adopting Heiwa was a definite “no” because my mom did not like the idea of having a black cat because she was the type to believe in omens, and having a black cat was one of them. Nevertheless, I took in the frail cat. At the time Heiwa was the size of 1 ½ of a palm, and the bigger issue was that “he” was disabled. And my older sister assured me she would take Heiwa to a shelter the following day. But I knew if she did, Heiwa wouldn't make it, so I prayed until my mom came home from work and fought with my sister so I could keep her. When I talked to the past owner, they told me “Heiwa” meant angel in Chinese. In Islam, it is believed cats are animals who can talk to Allah(swt)  personally. In a way, they vouch for all good deeds you've done for them. Healing Heiwa's legs was like healing her wings, so she could fulfill her purpose. At a month old, Heiwa walked and sat in front of my mom during prayer. I had to push her off when my mom ended up nuzzling her face in her stomach. After, my mom explained to me cats roaming you during prayer is a good thing, making you more spiritually connected to God. 

– AA

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant