My life with animals

When I was around 4 or 5 years old, I was in Northern Ireland with my mum, sitting by the seaside, enjoying my butterscotch sweets from the local sweet shop. Suddenly, I heard a man chastising his dog, pulling the lead tight and shouting; I remember it vividly because it affected me deeply. My instinctual reaction was to swivel around and glare at him, wrestling with myself as to whether I should open my mouth and give him “a piece of my mind”. Before I could do so, my mother stopped me. She had noticed that this man was potentially quite angry and dangerous so it’s not surprising that she didn’t want her four-year-old trotting over there to waggle her finger. I felt incredibly impassioned at that moment—like it was my duty to save that animal. 

Then this little bundle came along. Her name was Spotty and she was the first of three rats that my sibling and I were lucky enough to have. Sadly, due to their inbreeding, they suffered illnesses and tumours, causing them to not live for very long. 

Then for 17 wonderful years, I had this girl.

Her name was Blee (full name Black Magic) and she was by my side day in, day out until she passed from cancer at around age 18. The saying that resonates with me the most about losing a pet is: “if love could’ve kept you alive you would’ve lived forever”. She was ready to go and I was right there with her through it all.

Our story starts with my sibling and I sneaking up to the top of the garden to find this beautiful black cat we’d seen skulking around by the apple tree. Hannah (my sibling), was allergic to cats but undeterred by this. We were under strict instructions not to give Hannah an allergic reaction and “to leave that cat alone” but she stole our hearts. After coming down from the garden with Hannah covered in hives, it became clear we were not going to be able to resist.

I remember walking to the corner shop with my mum, nervously looking at the ground and saying “ummm, so…do you think–if it is okay…maybe we could get some food for that cat at the top of the garden?” By this point, I had asked my parents for every animal under the sun so it came as no surprise. My mother acquiesced and we bought a little kibble “just for now”. Day by day, month by month, she crept closer into the house. My mum said “okay, she can come in the house but not in your bedrooms”; of course, I snuck her into my bed as soon as I could, but the sounds of her purring meant my surreptitious plan was soon rumbled. Thankfully, Hannah’s allergies went away through gradual exposure (to our complete surprise) and they now have two black cats of their own: I like to think of it as a homage to our dear Blee.

My current cat is called Bowie (we got him the year David Bowie passed). He is the complete opposite to Blee or Thomas, who we lost two years ago. Each cat really does have their own personality and idiosyncrasies. Vivacious and wonderful, I have Battersea to thank for bringing such a delightful soul into my home.

Although these are the animals I have shared a house with, I share my heart with all 7.8 million species and if I could, I would share a space with them all. This is what Kelp Social is for: a way to support animals through accessibility to education, awareness and community.