During my morning routine, I spend a few minutes reciting a prayer to the Sun and associated Gods, and then I toast them when I take the first sip of my delicious morning beverage (coffee on onsite days, green tea on WFH days and weekends). Over the past few mornings, my cat Everly has jumped up onto the cat tree by the front-facing window, demanding affection. I’ve been petting her while praying to the Sun because she will meow at me if I don’t. Maybe it’s her odd way of participating.
Becoming a cat guardian to two cats who are now steadily marching towards maturity — they’ll be 18 months old the day before Halloween — is a big change of pace from being the guardian for an elderly cat, as I’ve mentioned before. Everly is much of the reason why I adopted the pair, as she seemed to consent when I asked if she wanted to come home with me back in May when I had the cat viewing. I didn’t expect that her sister would be more affectionate. Everly doesn’t sleep on the bed. Her sister does.
The cats are also slowly inching closer to where I do sun salutations in the morning. They’ve slowly realized that there’s an imaginary box around me when I do them. Everly lay down on a small washable rug next to where I was going through that rhythm today, and she didn’t move like she usually does — it’s scary for a young cat to see someone go from downward-facing dog into a low lunge with arms raised. They used to scatter during the prayer, or at least leave the window area. Now, neither of them bothers.
Cat adoption experts say that it takes 3 days for cats to adjust to a space, 3 weeks to adjust to new people, and 3 months to realize that they have forever-home stability. I can tell that they’re both still settling in, and they’re growing more confident by the day. We’re fast approaching the end of this liminal period.
I thank Artemis for how far they’ve come.
KALLISTI 