When life gives you Lemon (the cat)
A mandatory stay-at-home order is a challenge, but it’s even more difficult if you’re quarantined alone and happen to be the type of person who truly enjoys company. Samantha Bell can relate — and she came up with a solution. When she found herself home alone during the early days of COVID-19 pandemic, she decided it was time to adopt a cat, something she’d wanted to do for a while.
“I started working from home,” Samantha says, “and my roommate and her dog were staying somewhere else. I figured this would be the best time to pursue adoption, as I can be here and get (a cat) acclimated to her new surroundings.” Samantha wanted to be sure to choose the right kitty for her, and friends reassured her that she would know when she met “the one.”
Samantha combed online pet adoption websites and went to meet a few cats, but it didn’t feel right – until she met Lemon. The sweet young cat had landed at the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Atlanta after losing her home and ending up in a Georgia shelter. Samantha says, “The second I saw her, I knew she was my cat.”
Soon, Lemon was on her way to Samantha’s home and, just like that, Samantha had a quarantine buddy. “As someone who struggles with loneliness, especially during this time of living alone without the ability to see others, it’s been so nice to have another living being around. I am a huge physical touch person, and Lemon loves to snuggle, which brings me so much joy,” Samantha says. It turns out, Samantha’s friends were right.
This article originally appeared in Best Friends magazine. You can subscribe to the magazine by becoming a Best Friends member.
Photos by Samantha Bell