By Just Dogs
And greatest of all I have found
When times are tough and I’m down,
You are the one who sticks around,
My true friend.
Many friendships start on a not-so-great start. The best friendships are those that are least expected. One such relationship is the one between Sonal Agrawal, Tiny, and Tequila.
Sonal Agrawal, a lifestyle influencer, is a pet parent to the beautiful Indie cats Tiny and Tequila. About 5yrs ago, she adopted Tiny and a year later she adopted Tequila. And today, Tiny and Tequila are her lifelines.
How Sonal met Tiny was an interesting story. Her colleagues at work found a small, weak, starving, crying kitten on the street, who was smaller than the palm of their hand and was in a terrible condition. They got her in and gave her milk. Everyone who saw her said “Oh, so tiny” and that’s what they started calling her! Sonal wasn’t in the office that day.
The next day when she came to the office, she saw that Tiny’s condition had worsened. She was vomiting which clearly wasn’t good for someone that small. Sonal wasn’t a cat person at all till then, so she asked her colleagues to take the kitten to a vet or be prepared to lose it.
The girls took the kitten to a vet and after getting the initial dose of saline and picking up medicines from the vet, they came back and handed over everything to Sonal because none of their parents would allow taking it home. Reluctantly, for the lack of any other option Sonal took the wriggly little thing home, cursing her colleagues all the way.
But once she got home, and she fed Tiny for the first time… looked into her eyes she knew, in that very moment, that this little thing was her destiny. This was her soulmate and she was going to give it the most beautiful life ever!
She was her very own baby.
Initially, Sonal would take Tiny to work with her everyday but as she grew older, Tiny developed motion sickness so Sonal too, started working from home.
Being a lifestyle influencer, Sonal did travel a lot and tiny was independent and would stay alone for days (as long as someone came and fed her twice a day) , Sonal felt the need of getting Tiny a companion to play with.
One day, while scrolling through social media, Sonal came across a cat adoption post where the 4 week old kitten in the pictures looked sheepishly drunk all the time and super naughty!! Sonal knew that was who she wanted – her Tequila. She immediately replied and the foster parents asked to see her home to ensure that the kitten will be kept in good condition.
The first time Tequila came home, things didn’t go the way she thought they would. With the arrival of a new family member, Tiny was quite unhappy and upset as she felt that someone was taking over her territory. She kept hissing at Tequila and Sonal thought it was a huge mistake. But Tequila was someone who could (and still does) make anyone fall in love with her. Soon the little 4week old started taking over and in a week or so, Tiny took little Tequila under her wing. She groomed her, shared her space with her and played with her.
They still fight those friendly battles but are absolutely inseparable. Now Tiny and Tequila spend more time with each other than they do with Sonal.
Fun fact: One thing they all love is their morning routine. During the night, the cats are either playing or sleeping but in the morning, Sonal always wakes up to Tequila snuggling with her or peering down on her face and Tiny tugging and chewing on her hair to wake her up! T&T are the only alarm she loves waking up to every morning.
Sonal insists that Tiny and Tequila are her happy pills and are one of the only reasons that her lockdown 2020 and 2021 were actually wonderful and immensely joyful, because she could spend so much time with her fur-babies.
She always encourages her friends and family to adopt Indie Cats because they are the most adorable and lovable pets one can have… and they bring so much joy into our lives. She ensures that the stereotypes are broken and motivates people to adopt and take care of those that have no home.
There is a purpose for everyone and anyone you meet in life. Whether it is an animal or a human, whenever you cross paths, it is for a reason. When you count your blessings, don’t forget to count your pets twice because they will give you their whole heart when you give them a small space in your home.
You can meet Sonal, Tiny and Tequila at https://instagram.com/pinkpeppercorn_sonal
