Persia seems to be a nocturnal kitten. I heard her roaming around my room last night, calling for her mom. Meanwhile, my own kitten, Sasha, hid under the covers in my bed. She sleeps there every night, but I also get the feeling that she doesn't like Persia very much...yet.
By morning, Persia was back in the cat carrier and has refused to come out the entire day. She still seems quite scared and it may take weeks, even months for her to come out of her shell, but I think she'll get there. Let me tell you the story of Sasha.
Sasha, January 2012
November of last year, I decided that I wanted to get a companion for my dog, Cassie. At the time, we were living in a sublet in Washington Heights with 3 other people who all loved animals very much. They had 3 rescue cats and one yorkie, who was cute, but very dumb. (sorry Winnie!) I knew I was moving out in January, and Cassie was probably so used to having other animals around, I didn't want her to be lonely when I was out working or studying.
I found an adoption event hosted by a group called Anjellicle Cat Rescue and went to check it out. They had quite a few cats, but apparently none of them were definitely dog-friendly. I ended up volunteering with the cat rescue and a month later, they found the perfect kitten for me. She was a tiny little white and orange domestic shorthair being fostered by Deb Twiss. I met the kitten for about two minutes before making a verbal agreement to adopt her - I tend not to put a whole lot of thought into major commitments.
A few days later, Deb delivered her to the apartment where I was staying at the time. It was a huge apartment, with a long hallway, and my room was at the very end. Deb put Sasha on the floor and she ran off. Deb had to leave, so I walked her to the building entrance. When I got back to the apartment, Sasha was nowhere to be found. I searched for about half an hour before realizing she'd hidden in a corner under my bed.
For the next couple of weeks, until I moved out at the beginning of January, Sasha rarely left her safe place beneath the bed. I coaxed her out with food twice a day, and occasionally she'd hop on top of my bed to stare out the window. She never left my room. She'd hiss at the other cats if they wandered into my room, but she seemed fond of Cassie. However, she didn't seem to fond of me, and I'll be honest, that was quite disappointing.
Cassie and Sasha, December 2011
To be continued...
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