In May 2012, at the age of 25, I decided to co-parent a hamster with my housemate. Broke and depressed and partying too hard, we were in desperate need of an emotional support animal, with a hamster seeming the most financially viable and responsible option.
Bringing our new arrival back on the bus from the pet store, excitement soon turned to panic when she began frantically gnawing her way out of the flimsy cardboard carrier. No one noticed except a woman and her young daughter sitting opposite us, who watched wide-eyed as I pressed the box against my chest, blocking the ever-multiplying holes with credit cards, a bag of tobacco and sweaty palms. In a desperate attempt to help, the lady offered us her tote bag before realising it wasn’t really something she could sacrifice, seeing as it contained all her belongings. We only just made it home in time to prevent an escape, but this unfortunate incident inspired her name – Lucy Fur. Yes, lovingly named after Beelzebub himself.
