The Lioness

It all began on December 30^th of 2019. It was a dark winter morning as I awoke to the wonderful sound of kibble falling into my ceramic dish. I quickly ran to the kitchen to fill up on the delicious grub. Afterwards, as per my normal routine, I made my way to the quiet living room to jump up onto my favorite plush chair. I curled myself up into a cozy ball and peacefully drifted into a long 2-hour nap. Before I knew it, I awoke to my mother chatting on the phone. I didn’t think anything of it, until I saw my large carrier sitting on the floor below me. I got terribly nervous as my mother picked me up from my sleeping quarters and placed me gently into the carrier. I meowed to let her know that I did not want to leave the house. She handed me a tasty treat and scratched my head to reassure me that it would be alright.

I was slowly carried and gradually placed into the back seat of my grandma’s car as my mom walked around the vehicle and got in beside me. I had no idea what was going on, but I trusted her. After the car ride, that felt like years, we made it to a large building where mom got out of the car and walked around it to grab my carrier. A blanket was placed over the carrier, which made me feel safe and protected. As she walked, I could hear people around me and my mother speaking. I heard a strange voice recommend a lion cut. I thought, what does this mean? The soft blanket was slowly taken off and I saw two people whom I have never met before. I wondered what was taking place as I was taken out of the carrier and placed onto a metal table.

The lady’s pet me as they lightly brushed my long fur coat. I acted well-behaved as they were very polite to me. Next thing I heard was a light buzzing sound and my heavy coat feeling much lighter. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I continued to lay patiently as I could see my mother from across the room watching over me. I saw fur falling onto the ground but didn’t think much of it, I wondered where it was coming from. Once the buzzing stopped, I was gently placed into what appeared like a large sink. Water began to fall down my body and I started to freak out. Luckily, I wasn’t there very long. However, I was then placed back on a table where wind was blown at me. How was the wind blowing on me and I wasn’t even outside? I meowed to tell the lady to stop and she did. Next, I was quickly brushed and placed back into my carrier with a blanket over top of me. Finally, the nightmare was over.

In the dark carrier, I felt safe again. I tried to figure out what had taken place as I felt as light as a feather. I felt my mother caring me and setting me down on a seat. Next thing I knew, the blanket was being taken off and I could see her smiling. She opened the gate and lifted me out. She wrapped me in the soft blanket and I cuddled up against her and watched the wintry scenery outside the moving window.

Once we returned back home, I ran to the back bedroom and took another long much needed nap. The day was so eventful and exhausting. When I awoke, I had a lot of energy and began running around the house because I felt freer. After tiring myself out, I lay back down and began to groom my fur. I quickly noticed that I did not have as much work perfecting my coat. I was very happy and content about this. However, I didn’t understand my new nickname, lioness. Why wasn’t I still being called fluffy?