He was a nice lion but not the best pet for Lydia in her second-floor apartment. It was heavy to drag half a horse up the stairs every other week, and the bedroom did get a bit of a ripe smell in the hot months. The mailman refused to deliver to the building after Melvin jumped on him with what Lydia interpreted as playfulness. That put her at odds with the neighbors.
But when she sat on what was left of the couch watching TV and Melvin put his head in her lap and purred, there was nothing better.