Lucy and Sybil

I just couldn’t resist making a page dedicated entirely to the two creatures that give my life meaning.

Allow me to introduce my daughter, Lucy.  Lucy is four years old, and just like her mother Itty Bitty Kitty, she seems to be much smaller than the average adult cat. I rescued Lucy from her original home where she was at risk due to a rowdy young dog. However, despite Lucy’s traumatic past, she is an incredibly adventurous and brave kitty. She boldly explores outside regularly and has even come on quite a few car rides with me to spend the night at a friend’s. Unlike most cats, Lucy loves to drink water, particularly straight from the faucet or a human glass. She oddly enjoys munching on berries as well. One of Lucy’s favorite past times is cuddling into my hair until she is quite covered. One of Lucy’s self-appointed duties is making sure that I wake up when my alarm goes off in the morning. She will add her meows to the cacophonous alarm and nibble on my hands until I wake up and give her food and affection. My childhood cat would never make a sound so I particularly love Lucy’s small musical voice.

Lucy also loves to share a shavasana together once I’ve finished my yoga in the morning. When I first began meditating, she would meow at me and bite me gently in an attempt to shake me from whatever it was she imagined was wrong with me. She is my perfect precious angel, and I truly don’t know if I would have made it this far in life without her.

Then there is Lucy’s sister, Sybil. Sybil is five years old and she has been a part of our family for nearly a year now. I adopted Sybil from a local animal shelter on my birthday last year as my gift to myself. Her previous owner, I was told, was an elderly woman who had to give her up so that she could go into hospice care. When I signed the paperwork, I was told that there was no adoption fee because her owner gave them the money in advance to help Sybil get adopted. I was almost in tears. The shelter staff assured me that they would contact Sybil’s previous owner and make sure she knew that her dog had found a new home.

I had never seen a more terrified dog than when I first met Sybil. When I offered her my hand she was too afraid to even sniff it. Yet, she was sweet enough to allow me to pick her up and sat on my lap nervously for awhile as I spoke to her softly. Although Sybil is in general a very anxious pup (sometimes I believe she is my anxiety personified in dog form), she now shows me unwavering love, trust, and affection that touches my heart in a way I cannot explain. Sybil now seems to believe that her purpose in life is to protect me from literally everything and everyone. At first Sybil didn’t seem to even know what to do with the toys I brought her, but now her first toy is almost like her baby. She brings it to bed with us each night and puts it on the floor in the living room each morning when I come out to have coffee.

Since omnivorous animals like dogs thrive on a plant-based diet, Sybil has become a vegan as well, apart from the occasional treat of leftover cat food or meat from a family member’s fridge. Sybil was quite overweight when she first came home, but now she is slender and healthy and full of energy. I hope to prolong her life with me for as long as possible and help this dear doggo maintain good health until her final days.

Lucy and Sybil mean more to me than anything in this world. They are a constant reminder of the animals just like them suffering in confinement, awaiting their slaughter. If you have a pet that you adore, then surely you can understand the worth of every animal’s life. I see my sweet angels in every animal I meet. They all deserve our love and protection.

 

 

 

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