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A few days ago, my entire world was turned upside down. I was minding my own business, looking for food that always seemed to appear in little round things on the ground. But today, something was different.

While looking for my food, I smelled something new. I tracked the scent to a strange metal thing. The smell was too appealing, so I went in to investigate. I found the food. It was yummy. Then something happened, and my way out was blocked.

I began to panic.

Nanaki Seto

I heard people. I did not know their words, but I knew they were excited, and they seemed happy. I know happy sounds, and I calmed just a little. Something strange was happening, like I was jumping even though my feet were still on the ground. I shifted my feet and kept my balance.

Today was a cold day. I was shivering and scared. I only seemed to move a little way, and then I heard the sound of a people machine. People machines can mean danger.

I was falling, but not falling, and then I felt warm air. It had been cold just a moment ago. I smelled people strongly now. I think I was in a people machine. Then I heard a thump. I had heard this sound from outside my sleep spots before. I had seen it a few times. It is the people machine sound. I think I know the word now. I have heard people say it before. Door. Yes, I think it is door.

I was inside a people machine.

Nanaki Seto

I felt the world move. I knew from seeing before that this meant the people machine was moving. I was moving without moving. After a while, it stopped. I heard people talking and a door opening, and then that jumping feeling again. Such a strange feeling.

I was moving again. I heard another slight door sound, and I felt cold again, but only for a short time. Then I was moving again in the steel box, like running but not running.

Wait.

I smelled something I knew. It was friend cats. And not-so-much-friend cats. It was my colony scent. I recognized our scent. It was nice in here. It was warm. I was still in a small metal thing, but it was warm.

Then I heard more people voices. Something in a person’s hand came toward me. I am not sure how to describe it. Just a metal thing. I backed up, and the space became smaller. Some people faces looked in. They talked softly. Gentle voices. Happy voices.

I smelled a new pleasant scent. Something on the other side of the wall smelled like food. The metal box got bigger again. I ate. I drank. I got warm.

And oddly, I was a happy cat.

Then the people left. It got dark. I slept. I was warm.

Nanaki Seto

I heard more noises. People noises. Happy voices. I got a little more food. Then I felt that jumping feeling again, and I heard human words I did not know yet. Transporting. Clinic. Other words I did not know.

I moved for a long time with lots of little stops. Then a voice said, “We are here.”

I felt that weird jump-but-not-jump feeling again. Then everything stopped. The cover came off my box, and bright lights hit my eyes. I squinted. More people.

One person said words I did not know. TNR. Port. Something. Spay. Ear tip.

Some time passed. There were busy voices. Then I felt a sharp poke in my back leg, and things went dim.

When I woke up, I was in the metal box again. My ear itched. My belly itched. I felt different, but my thoughts were foggy. I felt the jump feeling again, but I was too tired, so I slept.

Later I woke and heard, “I think this one can be adopted.”

I did not know that word, but it was said in a happy voice, so I was happy too, even if I did not know why.

I slept.

Then I woke up in a new place. I smelled some cat friends and new cat scents. Other new scents, too. I was warm. I was full. My belly itched. My ear was slightly sore. My leg hurt a little.

But I was happy.

Nanaki Seto

I slept warm and full. I woke up a few times, then slept a few more times. I heard happy voices.

Then a person picked me up and messed with my front foot. I panicked and bit them. The person made a not-so-happy sound, and I let go.

I went into another box thing and felt the jump sensation again. We moved for a long time. There were door sounds. Then I heard a new voice and smelled new scents.

This new person had a very happy voice. I smelled new cats. The box opened. I came out. People touched me. I got scared and hid.

Then I heard a word I did not know.

“Ah-dee-nah.”

I liked the sound, even if I did not know why.

Nanaki Seto

I heard the people leave, and their scent began to fade. I relaxed and sniffed hard. I smelled other cats. I smelled a group scent of cats and one person. He said the new word again.

“Adina. Sweet Adina.”

I smelled food I had never eaten before. The person held it down toward me. I got scared, panicked, and bit him.

He said, “Okay, you got me good.”

I let go. He was not angry. He even made a joking sound, a nice sound. I ran to find a new hiding spot. I found one. It was small, but comfy. I smelled familiar dry food and water.

I stayed there for a while. It got dark. I heard that word again, “Adina,” many times. I looked up toward the person who said it. Time passed. I came out and walked around and smelled new things. The person moved the food and put in a box with odd-smelling dirt. I knew that was where I was supposed to do stinky things.

I saw a strange thing. It moved like it was watching me, but it was not alive.

I ate.

Then I heard, “I see you, Adina.”

I knew now that this word was me.

Then I heard more words, and he laughed. “Adina finger eater.”

He laughed more.

I felt embarrassed, but also happy.

I ate. I hid. I slept. I explored.

I saw a new cat. One was small and meaner. The other was bigger and missing a leg and a tail. I heard their names. The missing-leg one was Sally. The other was Dora. Sally was also called Silly Sally. Dora had other words too. Some of them sounded less nice.

So now I knew this:

My name was Adina.

I was also apparently “finger eater.”

The missing-leg, missing-tail cat was Sally.

The meaner one was Dora.

My name is Adina. I am a cat. I was born outside in the wild about two years ago.

I am warm. I am safe. I am happy.

Still scared.

But also happy.

It has been a few days now since I last spoke. I am learning about this new life as something called an indoor cat. Things are odd and different, but also exciting. Sometimes scary.

Dora, one of my new colony, is mean. I gave her a hard bap the other day when she tried to bap me. I had my claws in. I did not want to hurt her.

Sally seems nice. She spends time close by me.

My person talks to me all the time. Soft things. I do not know what he says, not all of it, but I do know love words. I know he loves me. I am still scared sometimes. I still have trouble with trust. I still run and hide. But I try not to be scared. It gets easier.

I am only about one body length from him now. He gives me tasty things I really like.

I trust more now. Less afraid.

I smelled outside and hopped into a strange spot that was outside, but not outside. He saw me hop in and said something about outside but not outside, and a new word. Catio? I am not sure what it means. But I feel safe in it. The outside world, my old world, I do not like it now. It smells like danger.

Maybe one day I will spend more time in the catio.

I nap now and think about new things. I will be back soon, though.

New life. Better life.

Adina the Cat

Sorry, it has been some days. I think the word is two days? But much has happened in the last two days.

My person gives me lots of treats. Tasty treats. I take them very carefully from his fingers so I do not bite by accident. I even let my person touch me a few times. I still get scared and nervous and move away when he does, but touch feels nice too.

Things here are still so new to me. Sally friend still stays close. Dora is less not-friend and maybe more friend too. She does not hiss as much. Sally is still friend. Big friend. Missing leg and tail friend. She stays between me and Dora to keep Dora calm.

I still do not fully trust even Sally-friend, but I let her get closer. She swaps smells with me. She lies where I lie. She rubs her cheeks where I do. She smells like me. I smell like her.

Dora also does this, but less.

So I smell a little like Dora, and Dora smells a little like me.

My person put his scent on the bed by moving his hands through it, so I smell a little like him too, and he smells a little like me.

I smell like Sally-friend, Dora-sort-of-friend, and person-friend. And they smell like me.

Are they my new colony?

They are getting to be my new colony.

I am less nervous. Less scared. I spend less time in hiding spots and more time exploring, learning, and sensing.

I found a warm spot under a chair with my person’s second upper skin. I think I heard the person word “coat,” so maybe that is what it is called.

I know the word chair because my person calls Sally “chair thief” when she takes his chair. I think it is funny. Sally is Silly Sally. I know what that means now. She does it on purpose to make person laugh and act upset when he is not really upset.

He also sometimes calls Sally “booger butt.” I think that is a funny and silly word.

Sally rolls over and play-fights with our person when he says it. She likes it. It means fun and play.

Dora plays with Sally now too. Maybe she understands new things better than I do.

What is the word? Normal?

Person words are not easy. Their words are too much. Hard to express my thoughts with person words.

Time to think more on new things from today, so now I nap. I sleep. I think. I dream. I learn.

Adina the Cat

I woke up this morning and sniffed the air. I smelled outside air. The catio was open. I smelled birds and heard birds. I wanted to see birds.

I came out and saw Sally-friend and Dora-hmm-maybe-friend. I decided to climb in with Sally-friend and Dora-maybe-friend.

I climbed in slowly. Sally-friend glanced back at me and then looked outside again.

I looked toward her and climbed in more and bumped Dora.

Dora spun and gave a low hiss. I got scared and jumped back out.

I think I scared Dora when I bumped her. My fault.

I gave Dora time to calm down. Then I napped and thought and dreamed.

Adina the Cat

It has been a few days since the last post because my person who types for me has been very busy.

Life here is amazing. I am trusting more by the day. I get lots of treats and love. I am still a little shy, and I still shy away from being petted, but the other morning I reached out while my person was getting up and play-swatted his foot. I tried to act like I was just stretching when he looked under the bed at me. I was a little embarrassed.

Human words come easier to me now as I hear more of them. I really wish I could type it out myself.

My person has been busy. He wrote a story about a vet who cuts the toes off cats and ends up body-swapped with a cat so he has to experience the pain for himself when a woman who adopts him has him declawed at his own practice. In the end he wakes up, but he has lost a leg and vows never to cut the toes off another cat again.

If I were one of these vet people, I think I would stop because, as a cat, I know the person people call God is real. I feel him near all the time, and he does not like mean things. Better to learn from a story than from life, I think.

I will give my trust to my person fully soon. It is just hard sometimes.

So much has happened since I last spoke. Sally worked so very hard to be my friend that I finally gave in and accepted her. I love Sally. She worked so hard to be my friend. How could I not be her friend back?

I follow her everywhere now. We are rarely apart. I bump heads with her. I play with her and groom her, and she grooms me. We watch birds and other things outside in the catio.

I still have not fully let my person pet me. I still have some fear left. I hate that I am afraid. I try to push past it. It is not a fun feeling. I know I should not be afraid, that there is nothing to be afraid of, but when you have lived your whole life avoiding people because some of them were mean, it is hard to take that last step.

Sometimes I hear him speaking with someone, and he says, “Adina is not just going to have a happy life. She will have a purpose-filled life as an ambassador to show people that feral does not need to mean forever, and that feral cats can make wonderful companions.”

I am excited because he is excited.

I want to have this purpose-filled life he speaks of, but my last remaining fear is still there, and sometimes it wins.

I will beat this fear.

I hate this fear.

I want it gone.

And I will beat it. Count on it.

My story will continue.

Adina the Cat

I have been writing Adina’s story from the day I adopted her. I decided to do something a little different and write it from her perspective — from the perspective of a cat.

Adina is 2 years and a few months old. She is a multigenerational feral, at least second generation. She is not an aggressive feral. She is one of those cats who retreat and pull away from humans. She is shy, but she has been losing that shyness ever since I adopted her.

All the events in the story above are true.

She and Sally, my tripod, who is 2 years and 6 months old and a pixie bob or pixie bob mix, have formed a bond so strong that it is stronger than anything I have ever seen in my life.

Sally was a dumped stray who lived on the streets for an unknown period of time before she was hit by a car and lost her right rear leg as a result. When I adopted Adina, Sally started staying as close to her as Adina would allow.

Sally has this very outgoing, loving nature. She worked hard to befriend Adina. I think she sensed that Adina had a hard life outside and that they shared that in common.

Sally would go under the bed where Adina was and get as close to her as Adina would allow. She inched closer every day until one day she won Adina over.

Now Sally will jump down from the bed, and Adina comes out, bumps heads with her, and walks side by side with Sally, making as much physical contact as she can. Sally is a big cat, pushing 12 pounds and 24 inches from nose to rump.

While she is as ornery and playful as they get, she is also the peacemaker. When Dora, who is 9 years old this month, moves too fast toward Adina, Sally steps in between them and lies on her side with her front paws spread and her toes spread wide, showing her claws while also being submissive. She knows how to use cat body language very well.

Dora slows down, stops, and goes on about her business.

Sally and Dora are also great friends. They groom each other, wrestle, play, and zoom around chasing each other. If one gets too rough during play, all it takes to calm the other down is a low, quiet hiss, and play continues.

I run the Facebook page Blackfoot the Cat Rescue and Animal Advocacy Group. It is a small page. Right now, most of my efforts go toward helping other rescues get donations to cover their costs, while I also focus on building my page and trying to raise funds for my own rescue.

I tend not to use my real name in many places because I do not want rescue work to be about me. I prefer it to be about the cats in need. I use the name Nanaki Seto in most places.

Adina’s story is far from over. It has only just begun.

I do plan on leash and harness training her so I can take her to adoption events and let people meet a true feral cat who has become not just a house cat, but a true companion.

I have worked with too many ferals to count. I have taken them from feral to house cat and gotten them all great homes over many years.

So many people think that the only place for a feral cat is outside in a colony or in a barn cat program. While I support those things as well, I do not think they should be the only option for ferals or colony cats. Those cats in colonies all over the U.S. and around the world should have the chance to live the indoor life.

Most rescues are not equipped to do this, though. That is just the reality.

Adina’s story started just before I adopted her. In December of last year, she was part of a large-scale TNVR project in Portage County, Ohio. There were three days of trapping, though one of them was canceled due to extremely high winds. Fifty-seven cats were caught, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated, with more than 20 going to rescues for adoption.

As far as I know, Adina was the only feral of the bunch. The others were friendly, scared, or a little withdrawn, but Adina was fully feral. The others that were released were evaluated and returned to the site because they would have taken too much work to make adoptable.

My hope is that I can get my rescue started soon. And if I do, my first order of business may very well be to revisit that site, round up all the ones who did not get the chance last time, and give them that chance at forever.

In the photos, Dora is the standard calico. She is the one with her foot resting on her knee. She has never injured her paw. It is just her thing.

Sally is the pixie bob, or pixie bob mix, the brown tabby.

Adina is the black-and-white cow cat.

Also, feel free to share anything on my page. I would welcome it.

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Story submitted by Nanaki Seto.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!