Hello, Kitty-Cat.

After more than a year of my daughter asking for a cat, we are now cat owners.

I am not a cat person, but I caved on this because my little girl really, really wanted one, and I want her to be happy.

The first couple of weeks were a little rough on my daughter. I don't think what she thought having a cat would be like matched the reality. She thought the cat would come home and be ready to play right away, but Amelia, a shelter cat who had been competing with other felines for the food dish, was leery of us and had to get used to her new surroundings.

And she had to get used to my daughter. The first time she tried to play with her new pet, the cat nipped her. It broke my heart that my little girl cried afterward. My husband, who was sitting next to them when it happened, said he didn't think the cat bit down, but rather, as cats tend to do, was just letting my daughter know playtime was over. He speculated my daughter cried more because it surprised her than because it hurt. And I think part of it was because she was disappointed that owning a cat hadn't yet lived up to her expectations.

For the next week or so, my daughter was timid around Amelia, hesitating before petting her, keeping her distance at times. But now, they're friends. My daughter dangles a string in front of her, pets her with confidence and pays attention to Amelia's cues.

I won't say that Amelia has won me over, but I do like seeing the smile on my little girl's face.