From a perrera in Seville, where he was about to leave his fur, to a small cage in a boarding house in Pavia, to Como, his adopted city. With his frightened eyes, Terry was the portrait (and diminutive) of terror, but with time, patience, study and play devoted to him, my feline cohabitant has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to trust the world, even after the most dramatic experiences. A discovery that continues every day and fills me with admiration and devotion.
After years of wild commuting, I finally had time to devote to one of my greatest passions, cats. But the more I studied their nature and the basics of their well-being, the more I feared that a small city flat like mine could not satisfy their hunger for freedom.
Then I saw his picture, small and blurry. ‘Terry, shy and gentle cat’, the ad said. The pupils dilated with terror, the small body tense in the effort to make itself tiny hinted at the closure of one who has seen death up close.
But there was more. A jolt of curiosity, an impelling desire to discover the world. I called the association that had taken him in: after being rescued from a perrera in Seville, where dogs and cats are mistreated and put down a few days after their arrival in the kennels, Terry was now being stalled by a volunteer in Pavia.
“Are you sure you really want this cat?” The association wanted to test my level of awareness of Terry’s delicate situation. Understandable, since so many cats return to sender when they fail to meet human expectations. I pondered: was I ready to live with a stranger whose trauma would perhaps prevent him from returning my attention?
I thought again about the longing for life I had seen in pictures, in his eyes. I wanted to offer Terry a new chance, even if it was yet another stressful change for him. For me, it would be an opportunity to study and perhaps rehabilitate a troubled feline personality. Yes, a leap of faith was needed. So, having passed the pre-adoption tests, I set off for Pavia with an empty carrier. I returned to Como with the same carrier, full of those extra three kilos that would change my life. I was moved and terrified: a new future opened up for both of us!
When we arrived home, Terry found refuge among the boxes in the closet, where he stayed for weeks, only coming out at night to eat and use the box. The concern for him, the temptation to do something, to speed up the approach were strong. Then I realised that the best solution was also the simplest: do nothing. Cats, after all, know very well how to choose for themselves and in their own time.
I used to do something: in the evenings, I would squat a few metres from his hiding place and read him a few pages of a book, to get him used to my voice. I limited all the noise in the house: no washing machine, no hoover. I practised yoga, meditated, all activities that invite calm and to which cats are attracted. Until, slowly, he started to show up even in my presence, only to eat and only late at night. I hooked him there, in his own space and time, that of the night, throwing him a ball, moving a string, playing with him from a distance, patiently and gently.
And so, that vitality that I had caught in that little photo began to blossom slowly in front of me. First timorously, then more and more confidently, until one morning, after feeding, I saw him move in a strange way, as if he were rubbing against an invisible wall. I reached out my hand, moving it like a wave to simulate a caress. There, the ultimate thrill: Terry came closer and started rubbing against my hand, our first contact. Since that day, the wave has become our way of announcing cuddle time.
The rest came slowly by itself… the first time I found him in my arms, the first time we slept together, the first time he went out to explore the yard, the first time he approached guests… Encouraged by constant care and attention, stimulation and games, today Terry is a sociable cat, eager for attention, decidedly communicative and at times tyrannical with those who – like me – fall into the trap of adoring him madly!
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