The Story of a House Cat... - Part 2

Lela arrived in our home a good 12 years ago, at the age of 3. It was clear that she had been badly trained, that she was a very spoiled kitten, always used to doing what she wanted, very mischievous, with a very particular personality and extremely touchy, to the point that at first I took her very with a pinch of salt, being very careful not to openly go against her way of behaving, but slowly, slowly but progressively, something began to change, by feeding her every day, changing her litter box, taking care of her, a process of substantial modification of her habits began. Of course, I can't say even now, after several years, that Lela is an easy cat to live with, but compared to the time when she arrived in our home, she has radically changed...

After a short time, I had already started petting her, establishing a friendly relationship with her. She didn't particularly appreciate my attention, but she had to adapt. I, quite naturally, made myself understood, making her understand that things had changed, that she couldn't do everything she wanted like before, in her previous home, and that we weren't willing to let her, this little skunk weighing just over 3.5 kg in winter, always put her paws on our heads, because in summer Lela weighs even less, hovering around a weight of 3.3 kg...

I respected, as far as possible and legal, her habits, indulging in what I thought was right and fighting, with due manners, what I didn't like about her way of behaving. One of my greatest victories was that the people who came to visit us at home said that Lela had changed a lot, that they struggled to recognize the insolent and grumpy cat she was before. As I mentioned above, she is still a cat to be taken calmly and with relative distrust. I can allow myself anything with her, because I know her like the back of my hand by now, but I am me, I have always remained her absolute point of reference, so I can allow myself liberties, attitudes towards her that she absolutely doesn't allow other people, such as petting her against the grain and more, and it's logical that it should be so. Soon I will tell you about an episode in which I openly defended her against another cat, she had inadvertently left the house. Lela is a cat who always lives in the apartment, and she found herself having to deal with this very aggressive cat...

Continues...

This photo is my own, taken with my smartphone...