luna

Living on my own has been a great experience thus far, but it does get a little lonely. When Gloria’s (my host “mom”) cat had kittens, I immediately fell in love with the litter of kittens and decided it was time to get myself a roommate. As soon as she turned two months old and was ready to separate from her mom and brothers and sisters, my kitten came to live with me in my house (not after several intensive flea baths though!). Her full name is Luna Choclita García Sayre. Luna means “moon” in Spanish and Choclo means “corn.” All Latin Americans have two last names, so it is fitting that Luna does too.

I feel a bit guilty for treating Luna like an American cat rather than an emaciated Peruvian one, giving her real cat food and treats (as opposed to the occasional table scraps that most cats have to fight for among the pigs, dogs, and chickens). She is learning how to use a litter box, which everyone here thinks is simply ridiculous. I plan on taking her to the vet in the city to get her vaccines, which also seems like a ridiculous extravagance to my host family. And worst of all, something that is considered animal abuse here, I plan on getting her spayed (I can handle one Luna, but not six more!). I figure that my treatment of my cat can just be another cultural learning experience for my community. Even though people here think I’m a little bit weird for the way I treat and love an animal, I think that they are a bit amused by it.