Lucy's home ...

A number of weeks ago, as I was returning from visiting friends in Ottawa, I passed a kitten on the side of the road. I was in a line of cars on a busy two lane highway just outside of a small rural town. My first thought was how tiny it was and my second thought was some concern for its safety. I drove on debating whether to go back; I didn’t get far. I’m generally not the type of person who just keeps trucking when I see something amiss, a tendency that has been both a source of reward and a few challenges over the years. So it was probably inevitable that I would do what I did. Long story short, Lucy is curled up on my bed now sound asleep.

I hadn’t planned on being a pet owner again, in fact I think I vowed  I wouldn’t be. Damn things just end up breaking your heart, although I’m now reaching an age where a cat could out live me. She’s taken over the place, her toys are scattered about and it’s not safe to pad to the bathroom at night without an eye out for a potential furry assault. I’ve always loved animals, and for great stretches of my life I’ve shared my space with one four legged beastie or another. I like to think that fate put this latest fur ball in my path. She was a bit of a mess when I came across her, half-starved and one eye infected and as it turned out, a nasty upper respiratory infection. She weighed less than a pound and the Vet estimated her age as four to five weeks. She wasn’t yet weaned and spent the better part of two weeks trying to nurse; thankfully she took to solid food from the moment it was offered.

I’m surprised at how quickly this little Tasmanian devil has become a fixture in my life … it’s nice to be greeted with some enthusiasm when you get home after a day in the trenches. While I’m content to live on my own, I have a well-read copy of Eric Klinenberg’s, “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone”, it’s nevertheless nice to share your space with a warm bloodied companion. At the very least I now have a built in excuse for talking to myself.

Now if I could only get her to get me a beer out of the fridge.