Panda

I thought about it for a long, long time already. If I remember correctly, since late last year. But I postponed it every time, again and again because I wasn't sure if I was 'ready'. Even though, I think, deep down inside, I have always been ready. So I decided today, and I made the move. I've adopted a new cat!

Her name is Panda, from her beautifully black and white tuxedo coat. She's around one and a half years old (they think), and so unfortunately put outside when she got pregnant by her previous owner. And in many ways, she reminds me of Kleine Kat... the nose that's half white and half coloured, the shiny V-neck white coat on the front of her chest, and those big, bright eyes. Innocent, yet playful, curious, and yet radiating with intelligence.

She was shy at first, perhaps a little annoyed that she had been taken to attend an Adopthathon. This is where a dozen or so cats are brought from the shelter to a specific location in the hope of getting adopted. The shelter currently has two hundred or so cats, even more now that it's Spring and that little kittens are being born... and the economic crisis isn't helping either, since a lot of pets are being abandoned because people can't take care of them anymore.

To be honest, I've been browsing the website of the shelter for a long while already, and I narrowed the cats to a select few. I wanted a quiet cat, calm, and affectionate cat that likes to be petted and held, but is also not afraid to be alone during the day. And Panda, at least as far as I can see, seems to fit that description well.

As soon she entered the apartment, she carefully stepped out of the cage. She sought for a good hiding place, darting from corner to corner in search of a good hideout. But eventually, she found the toys, the scratch box, the green grass and litter box that I had carefully prepared for her. And she became more curious than afraid. I held out my hand, and within moments she was coming over and butting me, purring and with her tail straight up. At one point, she even lay on her back and played 'paw' with me.

Now, she lies asleep in front of me. She's quiet, and yelps a little sometimes. I wonder if she is missing the last of her kitten... but I hope soon that will all change, and that soon she will get used to the home that I can provide her. I really hope, like Kleine Kat, whom I have not forgotten or no longer miss, I be able to provide Panda a loving place, a place of belonging and security that she has been missing for far too long.