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We first met Chinda when she was a scrawny stray who was almost completely white. You could see every rib and every bump of her spine, and she was painfully shy. Day after day, though, she would come and perch on our fence and watch us through the windows. Finally she was convinced we were harmless (we made many careful attempts to approach her) and got into the habit of darting into our house and meowing loudly. We fed her tuna and cheese and watched her fill out. Beautiful striped markings and dark patches appeared on her as she grew. After several weeks, she finally let us scoop her up and cuddle. Now she begs to be held and petted and is sporting a crystal collar.
Someone else in our neighborhood has *officially* adopted our Shweedy (Sweetie). But she graciously shares herself with us as well. Chinda is a Thai name meaning "precious stone." Chinda is as lovely as can be with her gorgeous fur, crossed sapphire blue eyes, and elegant frame. But her appearance isn't her only endearing quality. Every other night or so she waits until 10 or 11 at night for either me or my sister to get home. As we scramble to unlock the door, she trots up to the front steps, meowing "Mrrrrrroooooooooowwwww?" with a sharp inhale at the end. ("Ehh!") We let her into the house, and she sprints to the fridge and awaits cheese, canned cat food, or leftover chicken. She explores our rooms, basement, and the hamster cage ("No Chinda! That's not food!"), meowing importantly all the way like the head of a search party. She darts around and hides under couches and beds, waits for us to follow, meows, and then the chase is on again. We think she's playing hide-and-seek. Before we let her back out into the night, she lets us rub her soft, fluffy belly and kiss her on the cold wet nose. Then we figure she goes to her offical home for the night!
Hello, precious Chinda in Colorado! Happy Cat of the Day!