I never thought I would be a cat lady. I never thought I would have a PetCo rewards card (after so many points, Luna gets a free treat and two free treats on her birthday!). I never thought I would buy kitty treats at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts, at The Cupcakerie, and anywhere else that offers pet-friendly sweets. Every time I see a toy she might like, I buy it for her; and she has a lot of toys. She has filled my life with so much joy and I often find myself thinking about how boring my life would be if she wasn't part of it.

How Luna rescued me was a classic love story. She and 3 of her siblings were found in a box on the steps of a rafting company in Fayetteville, WV. A gentle, animal-loving woman found them and took them in. She cared for them for a couple weeks until she found homes for all of them. As fate would have it, at that exact same time, I was looking for a pet kitten. I wanted something warm and cute and soft to cuddle, to raise, to grow old(er) with. I put on Facebook what I wanted and that same afternoon was the first time I saw a picture of her. She was so tiny! She was still so tiny a week later when my Nonnie drove her from Fayetteville to Morgantown for me.

She was the fuzziest mess of a thing I had ever seen. Just a gray tuft of fur with whiskers, ears, bean toes, and the brightest yellow eyes. She was able to loaf in the palm of my hand. That night, I was terrified that I would roll over in bed and crush her! She has grown up a lot since then; her mane is sleek and shiny, her tail stands high and proud. She is a very skilled hunter, tracking down beetles and flies like a ninja.

She is adorable and funny and young and free-spirited. She loves to play with her toys but is somehow asleep 90% of the day. She is sassy and fierce and regal. She will cuddle you and nudge you one second and bite the webbing between your thumb and forefinger the next. She can sense when I'm sick and will lay beside me in bed all day. She can tell when I'm happy and she will meow back and forth with me. She is spoiled, but she is healthy. She is a sweetheart, but she is wild.

So, yeah. I'm a cat lady. A rescue mom.

Rescuing Luna was one of the best things I have ever done. Now I have a best friend, a companion, a snuggle bug, a Luna Tuna Boona Boat. A sweet little orphan kitten has a home and is surrounded by people that love her. If given the opportunity, I will definitely adopt another cat. I will also adopt a dog when I live in a place that has enough room for me to do so (a.k.a. a yard). There are so many helpless animals that are being abandoned every day, all they want is to be loved by a human and give that love back in return. The bond between me and my Luna is real, and it is because we saved each other.