An Unbreakable Bond

Recently, I saw some updates on cats that made it to their forever homes on your Facebook page. And it made me think of when I met Luba over a decade ago now.

I’d been hesitant to get a female cat, but after moving from a little mountain town to a big indoor-cat-only city, my cat Pepper was lonely. I began the search for a companion for him and when I saw the picture of little Luba in the MEOW Foundation Cat-a-logue, I just knew. She was the one.

She settled in immediately and became Pepper’s best friend. They literally did everything together and she adored him. He’d clean her for hours and she’d sit there purring. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Both were perfectly content. She and I never got as close, as we were both kind of Pepper’s pets. But that was ok. We were all a happy family.

But, as good things seem to do, these times eventually came to an end when Pepper, at the age of 12, was diagnosed with cancer. When he finally left us, Luba was inconsolable and confused. She’d wander the house, call out to him, and lay around longer than normal, unresponsive. Both shaken with grief, we avoided each other, only occasionally coming together for a quick pet or a brief cuddle. I would always tell people she was Pepper’s cat, and that’s why she was so sad. She didn’t perk up again until Anubis, our next kitten, joined the household. Suddenly, Luba and I both perked up again, and things went back to relatively what they were before.

While Anubis and Luba were part of the household, my dad passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  I still remember laying on the floor, crying, and Luba sitting next to me, like a stone statue of a lioness protecting something much smaller and weaker. She was there when I felt like I had no one close enough in the world.

IMG_8807A few years later, Anubis and Luba and I were sitting on the couch, right before bed, watching tv. Anubis made a few funny sounds and suddenly…he was gone. The vet told us it was heart failure and again, I remember crying and Luba sitting beside me, standing guard while respectfully giving me space.  It suddenly dawned on me, while I looked up and saw her looking back at me, that this was true love – the kind of love that grows and strengthens over time.  She and I were old friends, and we got each other.

I look back now and realize Luba has always been my cat. She’s been with me for a third of my life, and she has been the most perfect companion anyone could ask for. She’s quiet, gentle, sweet, cuddly, loving, respectful, fun, playful, and silly. She’s never been cranky, even now that she’s mature, and she’s always welcomed new family members. Without even realizing it, she became my best little friend – a perfect companion through times that weren’t always easy.

I know this is a little long and for that, I apologize. I just wanted to write this to say thank you a hundred times over for what you do, for providing me with a little feline soul mate, and for helping cats just as wonderful as her avoid coming to an early and unwarranted end. Luba and I both appreciate everything you do.  I’ve attached a picture of Luba with two of her friends – Anubis and then Icarus when he was a kitten.

Thanks again,

Stef and Luba (and Icarus too)