Nala

Nala, a kitten of about one year old, was found in an area where she wasn’t welcome. She was initially caught to be spayed, but, given the circumstances and the fact that she was very well-behaved at the vet’s, she ended up in foster care, in the hope that her fear of people will gradually fade and she’ll be lucky enough to find a family to love her.

Nala is gentleness personified. Although she was very frightened when she was caught and was trembling all over, at the vet’s she turned out to be very gentle and docile. Despite having had an overwhelming day, with visits to two veterinary surgeries (to ensure she had no puppies to nurse), Nala was exceptionally patient. She underwent ultrasounds, blood and stool tests, vaccinations and worming treatments, and remained calm throughout. She didn’t struggle, she wasn’t aggressive or vocal; on the contrary, she was docile and calm.

She is shy around people, not aggressive, but she does sometimes hiss and tries as much as possible to hide when there are people around, especially new ones. She has only been in foster care for a month and a half, so she hasn’t yet plucked up enough courage to come out of her shell. If someone picks her up to stroke her, she doesn’t protest, but when she is no longer being held, she retreats to her bed. Nala lives alongside other cats, with whom she gets on fine, but this means that her foster carer’s time is divided amongst them all, and she doesn’t receive enough individual attention to progress more quickly in socialising with people. Having only recently been in a home, she will certainly, gradually and with plenty of love, gain confidence and become an affectionate little cat. She’s discovered Churu and is a big fan — perhaps her tough life on the streets makes her appreciate the rewards all the more, which, incidentally, she fully deserves.

She had a difficult start in life, which explains her cautious nature, but with a little patience (and some Churu), in a home where she is shown love, Nala will blossom and reveal her true personality. When you have to earn a cat’s trust, the moment she lets her guard down around you is all the more moving. That’s all she wants: a chance to see that the world can be kind to her too!