I am Dora. I was abandoned at an animal shelter when I was four years old. My old humans told the shelter that I was a mean cat and they couldn’t control me. These humans declawed me when I was a baby and put me in a household with noisy dogs who teased me all the time. I was fed human snacks and unhealthy foods. I was skinny and my coat looked like a mangy hand-me-down.
It took me a while to get used to my new home. I hid all the time from my brother and sister cats and had accidents on the human beds. I didn’t understand cat rules and didn’t know how to play. I was frightened.
Now, I have learned to trust my humans and the other cats in my house. I am the queen. But I am a benevolent monarch. My favorite throne is a human lap, and I give kisses to my subjects to show my favor. I share the human beds with the lesser cats– as long as they remember who is in charge.
Lately, I have taken on the critical role of supervisor since my human now sits at the desk and plays with the toys on it all day. I ensure that she gets her exercise by knocking the toys onto the floor regularly and sitting in front of her screen so she has to stand up to see the messages. I make sure to say hello when my human is talking to humans on the screen.
It took me over two years to completely trust my home. I could see frustration in my human’s face when she would find one of my accidents. One time, she yelled at me, and I hid for almost a week. But, I saw that she was sorry for being a mean human– so, I gave her another chance. Humans, after all, aren’t cats and need to be understood for the lesser creatures that they are. My human is now well-trained and understands that I just needed some time and cat nip in order to adapt.
Writing a story is tiring! I need a nap.
