When Trust Replaces Fear

At the very sight of Kajac, all chubby, serene, sparkling and gorgeous, it’s hard to imagine that he was ever a neglected stray kitten - skinny, fearful and leery, seemingly hopeless and lost in a world full of prejudices, hatred and ignorance. He was probably born in the

sad stray cat colony that was apparently considered to be unimportant and annoying, part of a ragtag group of abandoned, homeless kitties which spent their days rummaging through garbage downtown, fighting over food scraps and trying to avoid cars,

dogs and cat haters. With no shelter and no caretakers, in a deeply hostile environment, they were surviving against all odds, with an utterly uncertain future, taking life one day at a time.

I ran into them totally accidentally, they

were not even close to my home, but all of them somehow became my responsibility the moment I laid eyes on them. Kajac has always been shy and distrustful and it took me quite some time to gain his confidence but once he began to trust me, he eagerly awaited me and even allowed some petting, of which he wasn’t really desirous. I was feeding them regularly, taking all of the adults I was able to catch to be spayed and neutered and trying to improve their lives, in the vain hope that strays which are taken

care of wouldn’t be regarded as such nuisances to people living nearby. I thought that my new four legged furry friends would finally be safe and satisfied right there, in their familiar surroundings, in the only place they knew, but I was wrong like many

times before.

How far will evil go? A couple of months later, the entire cat colony was poisoned and many precious lives were lost to a senseless act of despicable cruelty, performed by some sick minded individuals with no

conscience, who probably even considered themselves to be humans. I had already taken Kajac in weeks earlier, but after that horrific event all of the surviving cats promptly joined him in my garage. It wasn’t easy to keep them there, some were constantly longing to return to their old place but Kajac never showed any desire to go outside and was just plain happy in his new home.

He had probably contracted panleucopenia while living outdoors, but managed to

recover completely and I had the pleasure of watching him grow into the beautiful, powerful and magnificent tabby he is now. His coat is silky and smooth and his eyes seem to be changing colors under different light, sometimes they are pale green,

sometimes bright yellow and then sparkling golden green. He remained wary of new people, he used to shrink at the sound of any unknown voice, he would easily spook from sudden movements but he was clearly showing he liked to be close to

me, and even more so if I didn’t touch him. Not every cat is a cuddly lap cat and he certainly wasn’t one, but he was behaving nice and friendly, just the same.

When we moved to the shelter he discovered a whole new world, where he could do almost whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted and in a way that suited him. He has embraced his new life readily and gladly, quickly forgotten those few rules he had learned to respect and is completely in

his element here, just doing what he loves the most - eating, sleeping, soaking up the warm rays of the sun and wandering through the yard. Although I rarely have the opportunity to touch him now, there is still a flicker of acceptance and understanding in his

bright gaze and even from a distance the trust in his gleaming eyes tells me that nothing has really changed. There are few things more rewarding and heartwarming than watching an independent, powerful, cautious cat showing affection by slowly blinking at you

from afar…