Hi there, my name is Zadie.

My story is a familiar one. I had found a warm spot for a quick snooze under the hood of a motor when the vehicle took off like a rocket! Usually I have time to get out, but not this time! Bumping and bouncing around under there was so scary! Once the motor finally stopped, I got out but stayed underneath the vehicle, waiting for my people to come back. 

I was super curious and fearful at the same time. With a quick peek from around the tires, I could see hockey players, a parking lot, a large building that looked toasty warm. I got closer to the building windows and I could see lots of people in there. While I was watching the people eat their snacks and drooling, my family had gotten back into their vehicle. They started to drive away and I ran after them, but they just kept going. 

“Come back!” I shouted. “I'm over here!” I tried to yell at them but they kept going and never looked back. 

I wonder if they miss me. I wonder if they even noticed I wasn't home when they got back. I bet they think I was eaten by a coyote or something. Truth is way more cats end up like me…abandoned in unfamiliar territory than eaten by wildlife. 

So there I was…cold, unsure, and completely terrified. I'd never been this scared in my life! I tried to make a plan to get back home, but I had no idea where I was and which direction to travel. My mind was frozen with fear and my feet were starting to feel that, too. 

I hid from all the people leaving the building and getting into their cars until it was just an empty parking lot. I didn't ask any of them for help. I was just too scared to do anything but sit in that empty parking lot and cry tears that froze to my face. 

Eventually my survival instincts kicked in and moved my feet. The next few days are just a blur. I have no idea how I found a warm little shelter, but it was nothing short of miraculous to find some cat food outside it. The shelter was obviously being used by some feral cats, so I had to be really sneaky. For about a month I would sneak in, steal food, warm up, and then hide. 

I didn't know it, but people from the cat rescue were watching, waiting, and trying to guess if I was a tame cat or a wild one. Because I was so scared it was very hard to tell. Eventually I showed them I was tame by walking right into the nice warm house! Mistake!!!!

I was always an outside cat so inside was kinda scary too! But oh so cozy warm, and such good food! Rescued!!! I breathed a sigh of relief as they petted me.

Now I'm fully vetted and living as an inside cat in a foster home. I will be adopted as an inside only cat. I still get scared of new inside things. I also get scared of new places. This whole experience has left me with fear that may never leave me. It has left a scar that is every bit as painful as one from an injury. The family that adopts me will be getting a great cat! I'm soft, love to be petted, very friendly, purr like crazy, and I'm great with other animals, but they will need to understand that this experience has damaged me and it takes time to heal. I sure do hope they'll be nice.

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Zadie is fully vetted and ready for adoption. She will need a loving, patient home that will work with her at her pace to become more confident with indoor sounds, etc.