Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Petlife.
- Top Story - September 2021
A Feral Friendship
Years ago, if anyone was to tell me I’d grow up to be a crazy cat lady, I would have laughed in their face. My family is a dog family. Plain and simple. Sure, as a kid I would always go out of my way to capture neighborhood strays and try to convince my Dad to let me keep them, but the answer was always a firm “no.”
Alethea ChoPublished 3 years ago in Petlife My Cat Shima
Author's note: The below story was originally published in November 2016. Since that time my life has taken many strange and exciting twists and I have become the guardian of many, many more cats. I have even lost some as well. Only perhaps one has touched me as much as Shima did. I still miss her dearly.
Everyday JunglistPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeMaxwell
My husband rescued Maxwell at an adoption event in 2012 before we were married. At the event, while all the other dogs vied for potential owners' attention, pawing and barking, Max just sat quietly in his corner, side-eying his crate mate who had just peed all over the shared kennel. That look cemented it--this was our dog. He presented himself as mild-mannered and shy. The people running the event told my husband that he was a cuddler, that he hated to be alone and would need to sleep next to someone. Sure, okay. We can handle that. Besides, he seems so chill and easy-going. Ha! He fooled us for sure.
Merrie SandersPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeEvery Stay at Home Parent Needs a Nanny...Dog
I’ve never seen a dog so grateful for children who lay on him, drag him hither and yon, and generally just cling to his very existence. Not until I met Neo.
Rowan ChristmasPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeIt’s just meant to be
Over the course of my life, I hadn’t ever been much of a pet person. Sure, we had pets when I was a child. But as an adult living on my own it just wasn’t on the radar.
Lori SmithPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeNana's Climb
You hear it all the time on the internet: dogs are huge balls of energy that do not make any attempt to hide their love for you, whereas cats are angry fluff balls that act aloof and knock over the glass. Occasionally, cats can be very cute, and this is what makes them popular, but the mentality remains the same: they are regarded as aloof creatures who act like it’s a coincidence that they are always in the same room as you.
Simba and Binx
My wife and I have two cats, Simba and Binx. I got Simba about five years ago, a mewing little fur ball that was malnourished. Simba started affectionate towards people but as he grew older he became more and more distrustful of strangers. I attribute that to how his life started and could very well have ended, but I can't say for sure. When I picked up Simba to take home, I was watching my sister's cat Ninja. Ninja was a big black cat, very affectionate, and wasn't bothered by Simba as I was expecting but he did try sniffing Simba at first. Simba put up with it until he got to the base of his tail and then he turned around and “slapped” Ninja in the face. The look on both of their faces cracked me up so hard! Ninja and this tiny brown and black striped kitten competed for my lap too, they both wanted my full attention.
Tiggerish Eeyore (Aaron Wood)Published 3 years ago in Petlifemy favorite & fluffiest coworker
My favorite coworker is also the fluffiest. He keeps me accountable to the little things that add up to the big things—getting out of bed each morning, breathing in some fresh air, laying on the floor to give belly rubs after a stressful client meeting. He brings levity to the monotony by video-bombing each and every Zoom meeting, so much so that my team has created a custom emoji of him in our Slack workspace. On the bad days, his heterochromatic eyes emanate love and solidarity. I work as a senior project manager at Twilio, a tech company in the customer engagement space, and Bennett is my assistant, office manager, Chief Happiness Officer, and two-year-old rescue pup.
Emily Long (they/she)Published 3 years ago in PetlifeTsuki: The Precious Kitten Full of Love and Healing
Little Tsukihime, Tsuki for short (‘tsuki’ being ‘moon’ and ‘hime’ being ‘princess’), may be small, but she is mighty. A whole lot of love and healing came our way at the end of this summer in the form of one tiny, adorable kitten. Our previous kitty companion of 13 years suddenly grew gravely ill and passed at the beginning of June. It hit hard. It was completely unexpected. A void was left in our home, and nothing was the same. We would anticipate seeing our former fluffy cat waiting for us at the window like always or greet us in the morning for cuddles and food, but she was no longer here to do so. As anyone who has lost their furry companion can tell you, it hurts, and no words can adequately describe the sense of loss. Needless to say, it wasn’t a particularly fun summer. Tsuki wouldn’t stand for that, however; she found it unacceptable.
Jessica C.Published 3 years ago in PetlifeHere’s How You Can Help Your Dog Make Other Dog Friends
If you have a dog and are working on helping it build its friendships, please remember that they need to be their own friend before everything else. Allow your dog to be the best and the most playful version of themselves. Give them space, be their biggest protector, and help them make new friends!
Ruchi JoshiPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeSome Fish
“Some fish!” my tall boss Mike said. He was admiring my new desktop war-and-peace fish bowl—a ginger jar containing a single Siamese fighting fish topped by a peace plant. Mike often said say some this or some that whenever he was impressed. Charlotte’s Web was a childhood favorite, he once confessed.
Gale MartinPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeMy Prince of Peace
Hello! I would like to formally introduce you to Sir Princeton Rutherford Elliott III, but he goes by Prince. He was the most unlikely candidate for his job as my emotional support animal, but time and time again, he rose to the challenge and has taken his role to new levels. In my opinion, he should be inducted into the emPAWyee Hall of Fame, if there is one.
Diamond ElliottPublished 3 years ago in Petlife