“One day, a good friend of mine found this sad little cat sitting outside, completely soaked from the rain. She took Marlin in with every intention of keeping her, but sadly, she didn’t get along with the other cat living in the house. After a year of unsuccessful bonding and trying to find her a new home, I happened to cat sit her for two weeks. That’s all the time it took for me to fall in love with her and decide that she wasn’t going back- she was mine. 

 To be honest, I never expected a full-scale invasion to happen- I’m sure like millions of Ukrainians no one expected Russia to invade. It was quick. It felt as though it had happened over night. Many of the towns around Kyiv became occupied, and bombings were becoming frequent; it was a very intense and terrifying time, we were living day by day in a state of uncertainty. I ended up losing my job in the television industry and shifted into survival mode trying to figure out a plan. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I knew for sure that wherever I went, Marlin was coming with me. My neighbors questioned why I was taking her, insisting that it would be difficult to escape with a cat- and it wasn’t easy- but there was no way I was leaving her behind. For weeks, we moved around Ukraine, until we eventually fled to Poland with only a small cabin-sized bag packed with some of my belongings, but it was mostly full of her things. 

 Ironically, it's because of Marlin that we ended up in Amsterdam. She hates to travel and is around 10 years old so I didn’t want to subject her to more stress by bringing her to a country where she would have to be quarantined for a long period of time. Fortunately, we found a kind host family here in the Netherlands who we stayed with while I searched for a job and a place to live. Marlin ended up living with them for a couple months longer until I found our own apartment. 

 After a year of constantly moving, we’re finally settled. I know that people always say that they have the best cat, but to me she really is the best thing in the world. She’s my friend, my family, my close soul. I love her so much.”

Lesya & Marlin, 2024