Wednesday, May 29, 2013

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…

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can certainly understand what you mean and I´m so glad you gave Kajac a nice and loving home to live. I feed a stray cat who came to my home one morning, scary and dirty. When I first met him he was hungry but kept a good distance from me; he only ate the food I offered to him when I was far away from him. He was only a kitten but he was terrified. I don´t know what happened to him or where he came from. There are many stray cats around the area where we live. The months passed by and he started to come to my yard for food regularly.
I named him Willow. Willow and I became sort of special friends. After one year or so, he started to stay closer to me even if he didn´t allow me to pet him. On a rainy night he came meowing to our yard and I put a blanket for him inside our laundry place, I thought he was going to go, but to my surprise I found him sleeping over it at the next morning.
Willow is not a lap kitty either, he doesn´t let me to pet him but after two years being "his friend" he rubs his head against my legs and comes to our yard when he hears my voice or the sound of my keys. He doesn´t want to stay inside our house but he always comes back and I love him the way he is.
He enjoys the sun too and when I look at his eyes I know he is happy to be there with me. He still comes to our laundry place for cover when it´s raining although he leaves as soon as he sees the sun shining outside. My cats doesn´t mind him visiting us either.
When I first saw Kajac´s pictures his eyes reminded me of Willow´s eyes and that´s why I wanted to sponsor him. He may not be a lap kitty but I know he´s sure glad to be there with you and that he is thankful too. And we are blessed to share our lives with Kajac and Willow.
I loved to read this article about him. Thank you for all the wonderful job you do for the kitties in need. You make the world a better place with your love and kindness.
Maria Cecilia

Timmy Tomcat said...

That this fellow has been given a chance is wonderful. Thanks for all you do. Purrs
Timmy and Dad.

Bluelilly40 said...

This leaves tears of gratitude in my eyes. If only everyone in the world were as kind as you. Our world would be such a beautiful, harmonious place to live in.
You restore my hope and faith in mankind. Thank you.