mypetstory.mem.com

Simba Cubells Piehler joined our family on a sunny November afternoon in 1996. We were made aware of her existence through a classified add in the Dubuque paper. After having decided that an “Artic Cat” for $3,000 was out of our budget, we thought that the next add describing a lovable “tuxedo cat” free to a good home seemed like a good bet. Since Olga was the driving force behind our sudden need of a pet, she was the one that went to get her at the address given in the add. Let’s just say that after that day our lives were forever changed.

And then there were three…

Mike, Olga and Simba lived in a one-room studio apartment for the next year of their lives. Simba seemed to like and thrive in the close quarters and she would often entertain her parents by fetching balls and doing all sorts of tricks. One story Mike fondly remembers is the time when he (fully dressed in his graduation cap and gown attire) walked into the small bathroom after hearing Simba crying, just to find her balancing herself on top of the shower curtain rod as if she were some sort of circus act. How she ever got to be in that position, we will never know, but the story will live on as “the one time I saved her life.”

Life took the three of us to Ohio on the fall of 1997. At this point, Simba was a little bit over a year old and was showing some signs of a rebellious teenager searching for independence. Olga lobbied (once again) for the family need to get yet another cat so that Simba would not feel lonely during the long hours Mike and her spent at school. As we were “concerned” with the troubling times Simba was going through the wise choice of a sibling was imperative. A Saturday in September (the exact date escapes me at this time) we arrived at Kitty Corner in Hamilton full of anticipation. Just as we thought our lives could not get any better, we were introduced to a small character that won our hearts in an instant. We both remember the gentle and loving kitten that walked unperturbed to a small toy sofa ignoring the two of us, the caregiver, and most amazingly, the maniac kitten jumping all over him.

Obi-wan Sebastian Piehler thus joined the Cubells-Piehler household and then there were four…

Obi’s first night at home was spent with him and Olga sleeping in the bed while Mike slept on the floor underneath the desk comforting Simba’s hurt feelings. As Obi has gotten older his kind and gentle ways have not changed a bit. He is known by his crooked legs (trait Mike claims he inherited from Olga), his high-pitched purr, and the way he tucks in his nose into your arm when you pat him. He loves Simba and often tries to give her kisses to what she usually responds with a slap or perhaps a bite (she is often seen with a strand of Obi’s hair just sticking out of her mouth). Simba is a little bit more skittish but truly has a heart of gold. It is rare the occasion that someone is allowed to sit down without having her near by asking to be patted. She is known to sign along with Olga and likes to be the center of attention. She is the main protagonist in the game known as “Simbomb” where she gets dropped by Mike on top on an unsuspicious Olga as she is laying down.

For the majority of time, the two siblings have worked out their differences and have been found to be partners in crime in many different occasions. As you can probably guess by the brief descriptions, their personalities are completely different but they both complement each other in all aspects. They are both extremely lovable and we could not imagine how our lives would ever be without them.