Cat Rescue Story - Hurricane Shinji

by Troy Wayne
(Houston, USA)

KV Shinji

This is my baby Shinji. She got her name from the Japanese anime Evangelion. When I first met her, she was at the apartment complex I was moving into. A good two thirds of her fur had fallen out, she had bumps all over her skin and she was obviously desperate for human affection. I took to feeding her regularly and spending time with her outside. I wanted to take her in but the cat I had first, Amatai, is psychotic with other animals and would have eaten her. So, for the first year I lived at this place, I had a large cat carrier outside my front door with a blanket on the bottom (and a heating pad for the colder months, I live in Houston so not many of them) that she slept in occasionally and I would feed her several times a day. She would let me she wanted food or company by jumping up on the railing by my window and scratching the window with her paws. My neighbor took her to a vet and got the initial skin problems taken care of but her fur was still thin and I took her to my vet and got her all her shots, got her fixed (she really didn't want to be a mommy again!). Little by little, I was able to let her in my apt. by putting Amatai in the bedroom for a bit either when it was raining or too hot out for a cat.

Ever since I met her, she'd been trying to sneak into someone's apt. at the complex, no doubt trying to convince someone that she'd look wonderful on a human's couch (which she does:).

Finally, last year, hurricane Ike was about to hit and there was no way I could leave her out in it (I couldn't even stand her being outside when it rained). So, I brought her inside, with isolation zones to keep her and Amati apart. Eventually, Amatai got used to her (I think he realized there was no way I could put her out again) and she's been a permanent indoor kitty ever since. Her fur has been restored, and a diet change (food without any wheat or corn products) helped the skin problems.

She and Amatai still don't like each other but they put up with it for my sake, I think :) After the rough life she's had, she's still an incredibly sweet and afffectionate cat and it makes me happy to think she'll never have to sleep on concrete again.