For many reasons, I have a deep love for animals and am grateful to have been surrounded by them since birth. My first pet was a black and white cat called Cuddles, who was the sweetest little thing. I would dress her in my baby clothes and pretend that she was my twin. I was a toddler, and she was my best friend who never left my side. She would sleep next to me, and as her name suggests, she adored cuddling.
My mum had two budgies as well as a cockatiel named Polly. Polly could talk, and she would tell my mother to put the kettle on. My dad had an alsatian, my brother had a bullmastiff, my sister had a chihuahua, and somehow we also had pet mice—two, to be exact, Steven and Reagan. I had two goldfish and lots of silkworms as well. Our house was like Dr. Dolittle's—filled with an array of animals who were an integral part of the family.
When I attended primary school, Cuddles would walk me to the gate and give me a cuddle before I had left. Upon my return in the afternoon, she would be waiting at the gate to greet and welcome me back home. One day, I came home from school, and Cuddles wasn’t at the gate. I never saw her again. I was heartbroken for a long time, and to this day, I have no idea what happened to Cuddles. I’d like to think that she had met the love of her life, eloped, had a litter of mini-cuddlers, and lived happily ever after.
Years later, my mom came home with a ginger kitten. I was eating a packet of my favourite crisps, called Raffles, at the time. I was eight and finally at peace with Cuddles’ disappearance. I fell in love with the ginger ball of fur, and my mom said that I could have Garfield’s distant cousin. He grabbed my chips and ate them as if they were his favorites too. From that day forward, Raffles and I were besties. It was only appropriate to name him after the one other thing that we both could not live without. My dad’s alsatian passed on, and we got tortoises, an apricot-coloured French poodle called Pasha, and a pure white pyrenean mountain puppy named Bianca. Bianca was the most lovable creature on the planet. She grew into a very big dog and had the kindest nature. She was a true gentle giant. Bianca and I became very good friends. Raffles moved on in life, and eventually, so did Bianca. I fast learnt to cherish the time that I‘ve been blessed with my animal friends, as they tend to unpredictably come and go.
I was living with a friend, Lisa, who had bull terriers. One was called Joc, and I felt an immediate connection to him. He was playful, protective, and very naughty. I would often come home to my shoes being ravaged. I loved him so much and would take him everywhere. He was my plus one. When I was not home, he would dig a hole under the gate and run off to the nearest coffee shop. He was more of a social butterfly than I could ever be.
Another friend, Manfred, had a rhodesian ridgeback, called Cairo. She was my hiking partner and loved accompanying me on mountain walks. I would often take her on excursions to the beach, as she loved swimming in the ocean. Cairo crept very deeply into my heart and became a close companion.
Spending time with animals makes me feel warm and fuzzy and I simply cannot imagine a life without them. I don’t have any pets at the moment, although I can envision living happily surrounded by lots of them. One of my favourite things to do is visit wild life sanctuaries and I often go to the world of birds, cheetah outreach, eagle encounters, adoption forums and pet shops. I also enjoy watching movies about animals like Paulie, Homeward Bound, Babe, Beethoven, Free Willy, Stuart Little, Just Nuisance and the like. It makes me realize all the valuable lessons that I’ve learnt from my darlings as well as reminds me of the special moments that we’ve shared.
The oddest, most awesome and peculiar thing is that I’ve always acquired a pet in order to love and look after them, but somehow they are the ones who unfailingly end up loving, protecting, cuddling and petting me.
Petting Me by EJ for EJblogtv
an Enjoyment Journal about Everything EJ
xoxo