Feline Loyalty

The vet said Leona would be happy anywhere as long as she was with somebody she loved. I am sure it was a big adjustment for her, however, moving from a spacious country home to a basement apartment in downtown Toronto. Still, she seemed content even though there was now only a small backyard to which she had access through the small window over the stove in my tiny kitchen. Then one day as she got a paw caught in an element while jumping from the stove and broke her leg. She sulked for weeks in a corner, blaming me.

Leona moved with me several times while my parents were in Italy, adjusting to various circumstances with grace and tolerance. When my parents returned to Canada, she went back to them, happy to be with the other persons she loved. And they moved twice after that as well. The vet was right – cats are content to stay with their humans under any circumstances. Nobody can now tell me that cats are opportunists, seeking comfort and feeding from whomever comes along to provide it. I am glad, however, that Leona’s final place of abode was a spacious home in the country.