Fatima

After having been fed during the winter months by an older gentleman in his back yard, and then brought to the Homeless Cat Rescue in March, Fatima (formerly Elle-Bee) eventually found her way into our home to become the latest feline addition to our household on August 29, 2009.

The first few days were a bit tough on her, I think. The new home must’ve seemed incredibly large (it’s a 3-story row house) and filled with strange sights, sounds and smells.

Our other cat, Keaton, showed only a passing interest in Fatima at first, as he peered at her through the metal grill I’d placed over my office door. This was to be her new home for the first few days, just to get her used to where the litter pan was, and to give her a bit of privacy and alone time in order to familiarize herself with the new environment. She didn’t seem intimidated by Keaton, even though he’s almost twice her size. I suppose she was used to having other cats around during her stay at the cat rescue agency at Yonge & St. Clair, where we first spotted her.

We were told she was a fairly friendly and affectionate cat when she first arrived at the cat rescue. However, her personality started to change after a couple of months in the cat pen. I guess the longer she stayed there, the more depressed she became at not having the space and freedom to roam around and explore at will.

Now she has more than enough room to wander. She also seems to be getting along well with Keaton, to the point where they’ve started to play together and chase one another up and down the stairs.

To add to the excitement, yesterday a huge fly had the misfortune of getting in through the kitchen door and the scene suddenly shifted to the plains of the Serengeti, as two tiny lions stalked their prey. They finally cornered the fly against a window pane in the living room when Keaton swatted it to the floor, where it was quickly dispatched by Fatima.

All in all, she’s settling in nicely and is definitely warming to us. I’ve managed to give her a good brushing and she seemed to love that, as she rubbed against my legs and arched her back for a more vigorous scrubbing with the wire bristles of the brush. I ended up with a fair-sized hairball in my hand by the time I was done, so she obviously benefited from the grooming.