My Girl Luciana

Meet my girl Luciana Luna Bean. She has been with us going on 4 years (I think). We lose track of time here, that's no secret. Has she been our companion for 3 years, or perhaps 4? As I type this, I cannot answer for sure. Luciana arrived at Deer Run sort of planned, or as planned as the arrival of any "throw away" animal can be.

In the course of only a few short months, 3 of our companion animals crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Luciana arrived shortly before two of my best cats (Amethyst and Mozart) died. Am & Mo were 2 peas in a pod. They weren't related, but they entered my life just a few short weeks apart as kittens, and they alos left me within 3 weeks of each other. They had a love-hate relationship over the years, but without a doubt Mozart's presence was the stabilizing force in the household as far as a feline pecking order. Once he was gone, all hell broke loose. Luciana arrived in the midst of all this turmoil. Am & Mo had both been sick for a very long time, coping with the needs of infirm elderly animals is not easy. I cannot remember the exact circumstances of Luciana's arrival, but I do remember where she was adopted from (local shelter) and her given name (Holly, because she was born around Christmas).

Once Luciana was named properly, she settled into life here quickly. As she realized this home was permanent, her personality blossomed. She enjoyed everything there was to see, and everything there was to do. Everything was a toy, everything was an adventure, everything was created just for her. She's a curious girl, and that occasionally gets her into trouble. She also was one of the sweetest and most affectionate cats I'd ever known, constantly wanting to be held, carried, petted and doted on. She purred constantly, and was simply a joy.

Once we lost Amethyst & Mozart, we were left with Lemon and Luciana. Having a 2 cat household after having 4 (and even 5 at one point) made the house seem almost empty. Sure, Luciana kept Lemon on his toes (Lemon has a mean streak in him and can turn into Mr. Hyde at the drop of a dime), but somehow the general consensus was that eventually we'd get another cat (we did, Pink Moon).

We had Luciana about a year before Pink Moon arrived. During that year, LuLu followed me around anywhere I went, sat on my lap any chance she could, and meowed words of love constantly. She actually was, dare I even use this word... enchanting. She tricked us.

Once Pink Moon arrived, everything changed with Luciana. She no longer was our sweet snuggly girl. She seemed miffed that we brought more estrogen into the house, no matter how much attention we paid to LuLu, it wasn't enough to win her affection back. Instead, she began to gravitate towards Pink Moon. As you know, Pink was exceptionally small, and very scared. Lu began to mother her. She would try and pick her up by the scruff, but never really accomplished that properly. Instead, she'd kind of drag Pink around the floor. Pink didn't seem to care at all, she quickly got used to being Lu's dust mop. Afterwards, Lu would set to groom Pink for hours, always chewing off Pink's whiskers. We thought she'd outgrow the behavior, but she hasn't. Pink never fights back, she simply sits & accepts.

As a chronic insomniac, I'm up a lot every night. Most times I will find Lu snuggled in with Pink, one paw thrown over a shoulder, the other stretched out in the other direction. Purring. Content. The two of them get along very well, kind of leaving Lemon out in the cold. Lemon has a bad habit (ok, he has many bad habits) of stalking & beating up Lu. She tries to fight back, but she is on the losing end of the stick always. We have to intervene. Luciana resents Lemon's aggression, so she batters the next down the line.... Aggie. We have to intervene. I dream of peaceful co-existence in the world, but sadly cannot even seem to attain that within my own home.

Luciana is a very sweet kitty, so long as she is the center of attention. I've come to accept that long ago, and the way things are is the way things will be. She pals around with her best bud, Pink, plays with her toys, spends hours in the sun, and still finds her comfy spot on the bed. She's a good one, for sure. Now you know a little about another one of our Deer Run family. I hope you enjoyed meeting my girl Luciana.