Since I was very young I was fascinated with the way cat and dog mothers would pick up and carry their kittens and puppies with their mouths. The teeth and fangs of carnivores that were designed to kill could also in effect cradle the delicate furry skin of the infant young to transport them to safety whenever necessary. Also since I was fairly young, I was a motherly type to younger siblings and cousins as well as to children that I ‘babysat’ for friends of the family and neighbors. Though it is simple, I still enjoy this picture of motherly protection over one’s own. I was still what I would now call a young mother when I did this sketch, and now I am a protective grandmother too.