Unbelievable what people will give up these days...

A wise friend of mine once asked me how many people I thought lived in heaven. The answer: just enough to care for all the animals and after getting to know Twingle I couldn't agree with him more.
A week before bringing Twingle home, while at Kitty Kind, I said that she was the most upset cat I had ever seen over there and I meant it. Now I know that that was because she was very confused. She had always given her owner the best she had to offer and in return, after 8 years, she got put in a cage and left alone to be cared for by people she had never met. To make things worse, she missed her "owner" so much. What could we expect from her but to be upset and very, very sad?
Today, after only 5 days, she's almost forgotten all of that and is the cat that will come and greet me with the sweetest head-bumps every time I come home, that will follow me everywhere I go, the friend that keeps me company every night...

Mrs. Twingle really is a very special lady and that's all I have to say about her today.

"Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?"
I don't Know, but I know Twingle can.

She watches TV!

It's true, she does! Not for too long though, she gets bored fast, but then she will just lay there next to you for as long as you want her too. I like to think that I'm enough for her, that she doesn't need much else to be happy. That is how special she is and how little she asks for.
My family has a cat that when young liked to watch soccer games and would try to catch the ball whenever it had a chance. Can you imagine that in Brazil during a World Cup?!?
I read that that's exactly what they like the flickering and movement that is on the TV. Well, Twingle is a fan too! There is even a DVD for cats for sale on Amazon, maybe I should get her one and see what happens.

Twingle and her green brush

I was going to wait a week before trying to brush her, but she's been shedding so much that I bought her a brush on my way home from work today and decided to put it to use right away. I have to say, she kind of enjoyed it and I'm sure is feeling a lot better now after our brushing session.

PS: I just got another kiss and a real good one this time =]

I got my first kiss today!

Okay, it was more like she licked my finger, but coming from Twingle it felt like a kiss to me.
Fact #2 about her: she will follow you around. Especially in the morning, even to the bathroom if you let her, and when you come home from work. She will also let you know she is around by bumping her head into your legs.
I read online that when a cat is bumping you with its head or the side of its face it means that it is wiping the scent gland in front of its ear on you, marking you as its territory. Could this be true???
Her new favorite thing: admiring the "view" from our balcony door (we have a screen door after all). She loves to feel the wind on her face. Smart girl! 

Our first Sunday

One thing we can say for sure about Twingle even after only one day in her company: she is the most curious cat I've ever seen. She explored every inch of our apartment today and picked a favorite spot for the day, under the dining room table. That's where she spent most of her time today.
I think that overall she is doing really well, eating, using the litter box and coming to us when she wants attention. We went out for a few hours in the afternoon and when we got back home I felt like she had even missed us a little bit.
Don't get me wrong, it's still Twingle I'm writing about, she will still let us know with a hiss when she is not feeling comfortable, but she is doing so much better than I expected that I'm feeling good after her first day with us.

Twingle's first day at our home

Twingle is an eight year old grey tabby with a strikingly beautiful face and big hazel eyes. I remember when she first got back to Kitty kind after losing her home, a very sad story. Of course Twingle didn't like one bit to be back after such a long time and right away became very defensive. I used to dread cleaning her every Friday, most weeks all we were able to do for her was get her food, fresh water and a clean litter box.
On Wednesday, after receiving Janette's email, I decided that I could and wanted to do more for the cats, I've been a cleaner at Kitty kind for about two years, and volunteered to foster a cat. The fostering process moved along very fast, Janette put me in contact with Miriam and my husband and I met with  her today at Petco. We decided to take advantage of the fact that we don't have any pets of our own and take in a more "challenging" cat. Miriam suggested Twingle, to give her a cage break and also for the need that kk has to accurately assess her personality.

I brought Twingle home this afternoon with the intention to set her up in our half bath to decompress and let her spend there her first day at our home. I felt sorry about giving her such limited space and decided to make our second bedroom hers for the day; complete with a nice litter box, food and a couch for her to use as a bed. I set everything up before letting her out of her carrier and then freed her to explore her new quarters on her own.
About an hour later I didn't resist and came back for a first visit. To  my surprise I was welcomed by a different cat bumping the head into my legs demanding to be petted. She only hissed at me once when I got too comfortable and decided to play with her tail.
Later in the evening I came back for a second visit and took some nice pictures of her.

My hope is that Twingle will  thrive at our home and come back to Petco a different cat, making it possible for her to finally find her forever home.