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Basepaws Cat Stories: The Tale of Sylvia - The Goddess of the Forest
Basepaws Cats

Basepaws Cat Stories: The Tale of Sylvia - The Goddess of the Forest

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What? You too? I thought I was the only one!'" In light of this, the time has come for another magical story from the Basepaws family! Please meet Basepaws cat Sylvia and her hoomans Jen and Dan.

Basepaws cat Sylvia is an 8-year-old fluffy cloud from the picture above, notorious for her tender and caring nature and a brave, sassy attitude. In Roman mythology, Sylvia (or Silvia in Latin) is the goddess of the forest or the spirit of the wood. Seems like a fitting name for this gorgeous feline who truly embodies the spirit of her family’s home.

"A home without a cat — and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat — may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?" – Mark Twain in Pudd’nhead Wilson

It all started 6 years ago when Jen and Dan ran into Sylvia on the rescue shelter’s webpage and decided to go meet the beauty from the picture. "We formed an instant bond" - told us Jen. As it is often the case, at the time, Sylvia’s new family didn’t know anything about their new fluffy addition. "We knew that she was 2 when we adopted her and that she was a stray", but the rest is mystery.

Basepaws cat Sylvia

The reason why Sylvia’s family decided to join Basepaws was two-fold. Namely, they were curious about the genes behind the fluffiness and tenderness of this graceful creature. More importantly, they also wished to join our mission to expand the knowledge about cats and improve the feline health care by contributing with very valuable information. "Sylvia suffers from asthma and we wanted to help build the database to help discover genetic links to this condition.".

Jen and Dan are proud fur parents of 3 and they already ordered CatKits for all their cuddlers. Sylvia received her results first and our report returned that she has most of her DNA in common with the Persians, Egyptian Maus, and Ragdolls. When we asked Jen if these results were surprising in any way, she explained :"We were not necessarily surprised or shocked, but we were excited!". Their favorite part of the report was "The Wild Cat Index, for sure! Now we can tell her about the wild cats she descends from!". Sylvia has the most in common with the Servals, Snow Leopards and Fishing cats. How wondrous!

Sylvia is a tortoise sporting luxurious, fluffy coat and a gorgeous, grand tail. She has a heart-winning, strikingly beautiful gaze and the utmost darling personality. "She's incredibly confident, loves looking her best (she enjoys being groomed once a month), a little bit of a drama queen, and she loves to be spoiled." But what makes this kitty really stand out in the crowd though are "her brave, outgoing personality, her tenderness, and her nursing skills (she loves taking care of us when we're under the weather with lots of purrs, kisses, and snuggles).".

Sylvia is the one who keeps the peace among her siblings. When we asked Jen about her kitty’s favorite activities she told us that between her naps in the sun and keeping and an eye on Jen, she loves "keeping the peace (and promoting truth and justice) between the other cats". Who could ever get enough of this kitty?

Sylvia does struggle with some health issues though. She suffers from asthma and seasonal allergies. Her utmost favorite human is Jen, with whom she shares a very deep and loving bond. "We're inseparable. She's my soulmate. She sleeps on my pillow at night, follows me everywhere, and she even has her bench in the bathroom because she sits with me when I take a bath." - uttered Jen to us.

Basepaws cat Sylvia with her favorite hooman Jen

Cats embody the spirit and joy of our homes. Sylvia is a beautiful feline and the endless source of happiness for her family. Hearing about the caring and cuddly personality of this goddess truly warmed our hearts here at Basepaws. Jen and Dan, thank you for trusting us with your fur babies. We are super excited to help you learn more about the rest of your little family!