So I now have a cat.
And I wasn't planning to get one.
But she's here.
How did it happen?
I never had any pets growing up except for a goldfish.
She was a cutie.
She lived 4 years with us.
Then one night she jumped out of her aquarium and you know.
After that I had no pets, zero, none.
But I do love animals so I always thought that when I'm older, when I retire, I will
have a dog.
A big one – like a husky or something.
But right now – no way!
I am way too busy.
I also travel a lot.
There is no chance for me to have an animal at the moment.
No!
But it's funny how during the lock-down months in spring I would sometimes go on my local
animal shelter page and I would look at cute kittens that were available for adoption.
I don't even know why I did that because still – I had no plans of getting a cat!
So how did it happen?
I live a little bit outside the village and there are quite a few homeless cats here.
People give them food here and there, but still many are very skinny and tiny, which
is really sad.
This actually almost never happened before, but this spring we had quite a few cats passing
through our garden.
So I decided to buy cat food.
Just in case if a hungry cat comes by - I want to have some food ready!
And that's exactly what happened.
Almost every few days we had a new cat passing by our house.
But they were all very scared.
Many times I would spot a cat, I would go get some food, and as soon as I step outside,
the cat would run away!
Hey kitty!
Hey, I just want to feed you!
There must have been 5 or 6 different cats that would come to our house like that but
as soon as they saw me they run away . Do I look scary?
However one day... one day was different.
Actually it was the evening.
I was working on my PC when suddenly I spot a new cat passing around my terrace.
I jump up, grab some cat food and go outside.
OK so before we continue, let's do a quick gender reveal of our kitty!
What do you think – is it a boy or is it a girl?
Let's find out together 3 2 1 it's a girl!
The cat was pretty intimidated when she saw me so she runs a few meters away, but unlike
all previous cats, she stops there, at about 5 meter distance and waits.
Hmm... a smart one.
Hi baby are you hungry?
Look I have some food for you.
Oh... you must be really hungry. Here.
Don't be afraid.
I'm not going to hurt you, look I'm going away.
She carefully approaches the food and starts eating.
I was so happy!
Finally a cat that lets me feed her!
Mmm... is that good?
Yeah, I know it's delicious right!
Okay name reveal!
As soon as we saw her we started calling her Teni.
When my boyfriend was younger he had a Siamese cat called Teni.
So obviously as soon as we saw her it was like: Teni!
Teni ate her food, evening turned to night and I said bye Teni, if you're ever hungry
again, come back, OK.
I thought this was a farewell, and I was never going to see her again.
But instead it was just the beginning of a beautiful story.
I don't exactly remember whether it was the next day or the day after, but it wasn't long
until Teni was there at our house again.
I gave her food and stepped away.
Mmm... that's delicious, right?
First she ate and when the belly was satisfied she started walking towards me.
What do I do?
I was a bit shocked.
Up until now all the cats were running away from me and now she was walking towards me.
Wow!
Automatically I stepped away a bit.
But she proceeds.
She comes to me and starts rubbing against my legs.
I guess that was the moment when she decided I was her mommy.
Me on the other hand I still thought she's just a cat passing by, but a bit more social
than others.
A few days passed by and Teni spent more and more time at our garden.
Whenever we'd come out she would hang with us, give cuddles, run with us on the grass
like a puppy and all in all just being the best cat ever.
How did you find us ha?
You know you're such a cutie?
Yeah she knows that!
She's the sweetest cat ever.
About a week has passed since we met and I decided it would be a great idea to take her
to the vet.
Still I had no intention of keeping her all I wanted was to make sure she's healthy, and
then she could stay around the house or go somewhere else.
I just wanted her to be a happy cat.
I was a bit nervous of the vet appointment.
I mean first of all I've never been to the vet before.
But also how will we get her into the cage, what if she scratches the doctor when she
sees the needle.
But this little girl behaved so well.
She went into the cage with no problems and she handled all the vacations like a champ!
The vet told me that she's about 1 year old and we also decided to schedule the sterilization
for her.
Teni you've been such a good girl.
How is she so amazing?
We brought her back to our garden and that was the last night she slept outside.
I just couldn't leave her there.
Whenever I was outside she would be out there waiting for me.
If I was working on the terrace she would lay beside me.
When I went back into the house she would always want to come with me, and my heart
broke a little bit when I told her she can't come in.
Because I knew that the moment I let her in my home, she will be my cat.
She won't be just a passing homeless cat that stops by our house here and there.
She will be my responsibility.
And I was afraid.
I am an over thinker: Who will take care of her when I travel.
I didn't plan to get a cat.
If anything I thought I would have a dog maybe 30 years from now.
She's just not going anywhere.
I thought she was going to come here occasionally for the food here and there but it's obvious
that she wants to stay here with us.
But here I was.
I feel in love with her and I decided to open the door of my home to this little angel.
Teni, do you want to come inside?
Do you want to stay here with us?
The first night she slept on the couch all night.
Imagine having a cozy bed after sleeping out on the road the entire life.
This is the cutest thing I've ever seen.
Then we went and bought her a litter box, some toys and her own bed.
Hey Teni look what we have here.
It's your new bed, you like it?
I know you do!
She sleeps in there from time to time, but mostly she still prefers the couch.
After gaining some weight she became much more playful, she likes to chase the birds
and the lizards in our garden.
She's actually a great hunter so when she goes outside we give her a collar with bells.
We read that it's a great hack if you don't want your cat to catch animals and deliver
them to your doorstep every day.
Whenever she uses her toilet she does this funny movement
with her paws. It is so cute!
And she actually does the same thing with her food that she leaves to eat a bit later.
It's like she wants to bury it.
My little shaman cat, she's the funniest.
I read that this means that the cat wants to camouflage the smell so that predators
won't find her.
As you can see I'm learning new things every day right now.
Besides playing with toys she also started playing with curtains.
Oh no! Teni was that you?
Now that is not OK.
Where are you going now?
So I bought her this scratching tower that she loves.
And my yoga mat – we also like playing with yoga mat don't we?
We already took her on her first cycling trip in a backpack and I think she loved it.
Teni look what I got you!
Should we go explore?
Can't wait for more hikes and trips with her.
Sometimes I feel like universe sent Teni my way because I was too afraid to make that
choice myself.
Getting a pet is a huge responsibility and commitment and I knew that so I was too afraid
of the change it would bring into my life.
I couldn't be happier with the choice I made when I decided to open her the door into my home.
She makes me so happy every single day.
We like to say that we haven't adopted Teni, but she adopted us.
Because she found us, decided to stay and brought so much joy into our lives.