About weird cats

Toska is a highly intelligent, very opiniated and in many ways, difficult cat I rescued from a shelted in February 2006. For one long year, nothing changed in our relationship. Who thinks all animals are grateful for being rescued is wrong. She wasn't. I do not know what her past was before the shelter. All I know is that her owner (?) dropped her there one sad day, on Dec. 23rd, one day before Christmas, adding he is "cleaning before Christmas". She was not afraid of people, actually she was not and is not afraid or intimidated by anyone or anything. She came to sleep with me on the pillow on the first night. But she didn't like cuddles and remained unaffectionate for one whole year. She bites and scratches easily, as I say, she has an 'easy paw' LOL. And then I took her to Norway for 3,5 months this summer. And the moment I picked her at the luggage place at Gardermoen airport, she had changed. While Happy the dog was highly unhappy in his transporter and wanted to be taken out *immediately*, she was calm, curious, patient. And then for 3,5 months, she had a biiiig house, a biiiig garden and tons to do. She started to love me. She started to look deep into my eyes and she let me do anything I wanted, including scratching her belly. It was pure cat love for her own human. And the day we returned to Warsaw everything was back to what it was before the stay in Norway. No belly scratching, not much affection if I wanted to stay alive. She had again that angry look and that banging tail most of the day. I was sad. That all led me to think she must have had a big house and maybe also a garden in her previous life. And that she hates my small flat and the boredom. She doesn't even look at windows. Of course, she plays a lot, but it is not the same.

This week H. took her with him back to Oslo so that I can travel more easily, stress the pets less during the pipes works and spend less on the pets pension. I'll bring her back from Oslo with me in January.

And you know what? She is again a super happy cat. A calm cat who loves you with all her heart. She sleeps with H., walks after him like a doggie and disappears for short (it's cold in Norway!!) trips in and around the property. H. says she's plain happy.

I don't have much hope that he'll let her stay more than till January but who knows. He had been refusing till now - he travels a lot and doesn't want to have pets when I am not there. That said he LOVES all sorts of animals, after all he's a zoologist by education, it's just that he's much more reasonable than me. But maybe if you all cross fingers and send some good vibes, this time he'll agree to keep her? I love her to death and she loves me, but she *is* much more happy there and for me, that's what counts. Plus, I would spend 3 months with her next summer...

And the weird thing is that she really is not impressed by travelling - alone, in the luggage compartment. I read horror stories and Happy himself travels worse and stresses more each time - but not her. You deliver a calm cat, you get a calm cat, who just waits patiently many hours till the doors of her transporter open at the final destination. But then, in many ways, she is exceptional, many experienced cat owners tell me that.

Now I just have to talk to her on the phone and convince her to stop walking and purring on H.'s body all night! He tried to close the door to the bedroom but she opens door so he prefers her heavy presence on his back to several minutes of noise till she opens the door :)

Here is an older picture I love. You'd think they are good friends ;-)