The Villages - June 2019 - 28

{ For The

Love

oF peTs }

Meet Lucy

A Snowshoe
That Likes to Strut
Story By rICA LEWIS | Photo By roB WILKErSoN
Lucy gives new meaning to the word catwalk. A feline on a leash, she loves to strut around her Village
Valle Verde neighborhood. When Michigan native Diane
Foster went shopping for a cat two years ago, she never
imagined she'd end up with such a character.
"I used to be a dog person, but Lucy changed that,"
Foster said. "She's a walker and a talker. She's very outgoing and loving."
When Foster saw the cat at PetSmart, Lucy's ear was
nearly hairless from rubbing the corners of her cage.
"She wanted out," Foster said. "She was poking her
foot out, trying to get attention."
Foster and her mother considered a few cats then ultimately decided to take Lucy.
"She was the one," she said.
Soon after taking her home, Foster discovered Lucy's
dog-like traits.
"Whenever I came home, she was always waiting for
me at the door," she said. As in the wacky sitcom "I
Love Lucy," Foster began greeting her in the voice of
Ricky Ricardo.
"I'd say, 'Lucy, I'm home,' and that's when my
sister suggested the name."
Lucy's unusual personality prompted Foster
to learn about her breed.
"On her adoption paperwork, I saw she was
part snowshoe so I looked it up," she said.
The snowshoe is a rare breed, mediumsized with stunning blue eyes. It was developed around the 1970s by crossing Siamese cats with American shorthairs. The
intelligent cats thrive in social environments
and are easy to teach various tricks.
"She's not the kind of cat that hides under the bed," Foster said. "A snowshoe likes
to talk, be around people and play with their
toys. I wake up and her toys are scattered all
over the house. She's always under your feet and
always there when company comes."
Foster introduced the leash after Lucy slipped out a
few times.

JUNE 2019

"She would dart outside and I was afraid for her," she
said. "We have coyotes, a pond, a busy street. It's just
safer on the leash. So I started walking her and she took
right off - just like a dog."
And while the neighbors have gotten used to little
Lucy on the leash, she tends to confuse certain dogs.
"Lucy doesn't care about them; and big dogs seem to
like her but the little dogs just don't know what to make
of her," Foster said.
Still, Lucy plans to keep on strutting under the
Florida sun.

The Villages - June 2019

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