Gotcha day
Twelve months ago we adopted our cat Nancy from the North Melbourne Lost Dogs Home. Her shelter name was Milky Way, and she was described on the LDH's site as a domestic short hair, just over a year old, who had had a litter of stillborn kittens a few weeks before, and subsequently been desexed. She was on our shortlist of possibilities, but when we got there and saw her in person, we decided that she was the one. If you've ever been to a cat shelter, you'll know that the caged cats exhibit the full range of cat behaviour, from urgent neediness to complete indifference. When we went up to Nancy's enclosure, she stood up, stretched and gently smooshed her head and chin against the glass. When the attendant opened the enclosure door, she was happy to be patted and made a fuss of. It was love at first sight, at least on the human side of the equation.
As you can see from the second photo, Nancy is very much not a short-haired cat. After a few months of love and consistent nourishment, she filled out and became fluffy and increasingly comfortable with her new surroundings. She is a gentle thing, interested in the usual cat things (sleeping, eating, sleeping). She likes being brushed (which is just as well given the copious shedding), and she will chase treats or toys around the house when she's in the mood. Mostly she just likes being around us, and as I am home most of the time, she is my constant companion. It's hard to imagine life without her.