Nyssa

I found Nyssa at the Northampton County SPCA, in Easton, Pennsylvania. I've always lived with cats, so as soon as I bought a house, I knew it needed a feline presence. Within a couple months, I went by the SPCA to select two cats to share my house. Leela was the first I found, and as I was getting ready to leave with one kitten, one of the volunteers was bringing in a sleek grey cat. When I was born, my parents had a Russian blue named Winky, and this cat reminded me so much of Winky that I immediately asked for this cat to join me. She never even saw the inside of a cage at the SPCA.

It is extremely fortunate that I was there. Nyssa was an extremely shy cat, and would have sat in the deepest corner of the cage, terrified of the people visiting. Odds are, she would have been put to sleep eventually.

She was not comfortable in my house. For months, she would not stay in the same room with me, and would slink away any time I entered a room with her. She never let me see her eat. She was terrified. It took a long time, but she learned over time that I was OK, and she'd stay in the room with me. After a year, she'd sit in my lap, but if she saw my hand when I was patting her, she'd run.

It was obvious that whomever owned Nyssa prior to my custody had abused her. If any animal should be put to sleep, it is the kind of person who would so brutalize a small animal.

I am pleased that Nyssa has learned that there are people who are gentle, and who do care. She's almost always in my lap when she's awake, except when she is on my shoulder. I've never seen a cat that is so affectionate.

In January, 2000, Nyssa gave me quite a scare. She had gone off her food, and had some bladder control problems. Since kidney infections are often the cause of death in older cats, I was very concerned. I took her to the vet, and it turns out she had a bacterial infection in her blood stream, and it also manifested itself as a gum infection (which is why she wouldn't eat.) Her kidneys are OK, and after a course of antibiotics, she was back to normal.

Since the infection, she has developed kidney disease, and by December is in the advanced stages. She's had a good 14 years, but that will end soon. I'm afraid she's not going to see the new year.

And she didn't. Nyssa died peacefully at home on December 9, 2000.