When Samantha Kreisler walked into an animal shelter, she was shocked by what she saw. Amongst the mass of animals was a skinny, sad-looking dog with a horrible skin condition. Upon seeing the pitiful mutt, Samantha couldn’t help but feel bad for her.
The shelter staff warned her that the dog would be a handful, but when she looked into those lonely eyes she just couldn’t say no.
Lucy, as the dog was named by the shelter, had a bad case of eczema. “When I got her, her skin on her back legs was so bad and infected, we called her ‘Lady Eczema’,” Samantha told iHeartCats.
“Once she was healthy, we dropped the ‘Eczema’, Samantha joked, noting the change was “for [Lady’s] self-esteem”.
Samantha got Lady the medical care she required, and with time and love, the dog’s physical wounds eventually healed. Sadly, she still had a few emotional problems to contend with.
Lady exhibited severe separation anxiety whenever Samantha would leave her alone.
“I started to notice that Lady would get physically sick when I would leave her—she would vomit, have diarrhea, and chew on things incessantly. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she would freak out.”
Wanting to put the poor pup at ease, Samantha would bring her everywhere she went— but at one point, that was no longer an option.
“When Lady was a puppy, I took her everywhere,” Samantha said. “Everywhere. To classes, out to eat (it’s Miami so we always ate outside).”
“I studied marine science and my campus was on the beach, so I would take her to the beach pretty much daily.”
“With permission from my professors, I took her to every single class for the rest of my college career. She was always so well-behaved and just loved being around people. But when I started my Master’s [degree], I couldn’t bring her to class anymore.”
Samantha couldn’t bear leaving Lady all alone while she struggled with anxiety, and she knew there had to be another way. After wracking her brain for what seemed like ages, a solution suddenly occurred to her. Why not get Lucy her own special friend?
“I thought to myself, ‘What is the cure loneliness?’ A friend! I got Kitty next day.”
Kitty, originally named Roo, is an affectionate, fluffy feline who was also looking for a friend to call her own. When Sam saw the kitty was looking for a loving home, she knew Kitty and Lady would make the perfect match.
“Before I got Kitty, Lady had a love affair with my next door neighbor’s cats Penny and Bruce. Lady would constantly sniff, lick and try to play with them.”
“So, we always knew Lady would be in love with a kitty of her own.”
As Samantha predicted, Lady and Kitty immediately hit it off.
Although Sam notes Lady may have “come on a bit too strong” for Kitty at first, the two lonely animals quickly became best friends.
Kitty and Lady’s spend every day cuddling, grooming, and playing together. And since getting a friend, Lady’s anxiety has significantly decreased.
“The cat is a stress reliever for Lady,” Samantha said. “They don’t care that they aren’t the same species, they’re best friends and sisters.”
“I think that because they both had lonely starts in life, they’re dependent on each other for emotional support and stress release.”
“Lady has her very own therapy kitty!”
“They are sisters and they are best friends. They are there for each other when they need it.”
“Sometimes, I feel like a third wheel,” Samantha says. “It’s their world. We’re all just living in it.”
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