Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Petlife.
How to Turn Your Man into a Cat Lord
You probably guessed from the title that I’m an unapologetic cat person, even though I come from a culture that has a strong preference for dogs. Don’t get me wrong, I like dogs and animals well enough, but I guess I’ve oftentimes felt an affinity for the underdog (or should it be undercat?). Growing up, I frequently managed to adopt stray cats that “followed” me home, much to my mother’s annoyance. She always came around though, despite raising us with the strictness of a drill sergeant. Once, my cat Bubba was sleeping ON her bed pillow, and I tried to shoo her away before my mother caught her (yes, Bubba was a she. I named her after my favorite teddy bear). I was too late, but much to my surprise, my mother said “Leave her alone mija, she’s not bothering anyone.” That’s when I knew my mother had come around to loving (or at least tolerating) my cats.
By Mari Zurez5 years ago in Petlife
Red, White, and Fur
“Is the wine okay?” The words wafted over my brain without much effect. I kept staring into the blonde contents of the glass, zoning out to the shimmer of refraction. My few actively firing synapses were prodding my brain with the question of what the hell I was doing in this upscale bar, and at this hour, and on a Tuesday, no less. My eyes drifted up from the glass to the person across from me.
By Cait Mikkelsen5 years ago in Petlife
Grizzly and Mr. Gooey
To love a rescuer, you must be a special type of person. You must be compassionate – because your rescuer will bring home every stumbled-across animal in need, from birds to bunnies to dogs. You must be tolerant – because your home will literally become a zoo. Your rescuer will assure you “it’s just for the night,” but a few months in, you will come to understand that while spoken with good intentions, there’s no way this will hold true. You must be willing to share – your bed, your money, your bathroom (which will inevitably serve as a night’s respite for a semi-feral cat, one that will claw the s#$* out of you at one o’clock in the morning if you brave a visit to said-bathroom). You must be strong – because you will see first-hand the sorrow and pain that rescue animals are going through as they are saved. You will watch your rescuer’s heart rejoice at the highest times – and break at the lowest. Most of all, you must be willing to share your rescuer, whose heart, time and money will be given to animals on a daily, if not hourly, basis. There is no “half-way” with a rescuer; it is all or nothing. Rescue is like the mafia – once you are in, you never get out. This is the truth of rescue: the guts underneath the glory.
By Marney Studaker-Cordner5 years ago in Petlife
In Praise of Joey and Katherine
In Praise of Joey and Katherine At one point you watched Aladdin while sitting on my sister's lap. You previously had lived underneath a friend's home and trotted to the neighbor's garage to be fed. When I held you in my arms at the veterinarian clinic, I knew. I was in trouble.
By Amelia Reiling5 years ago in Petlife
Strange Bedfellows
The first time, it was an accident. Since my early teens, my primary goal of adulthood was to have and support a dog of my own. I had grown up around dogs and proud, self-proclaimed Dog People. My uncles were hunters who kept un-neutered, outdoorsy labradors, who we considered “a bit excitable” when they humped my grandma’s antique furniture and laid waste to the yearly Christmas tree with one wag of the tail. My parents, on the other hand, were partial to softer, fluffier English labradors with champion bloodlines and delicate constitutions. Despite their differences, every one of these boys (and yes, they were all boys) cracked 90 pounds and behaved like the doggiest dogs who ever dogged. Smaller dogs with less doggish dispositions were considered inferior, while anything more petite than a 40-pound spaniel was considered an absolute rodent.
By Cait Mikkelsen5 years ago in Petlife
