🐾 Caturday: Taming the Wild Sokoke
Sophia came to me courtesy of the one and only local TNR volunteer. Normally, cats in her situation would go to a shelter—but no shelter would take Sophia. She was “too wild.”
She’d earned that reputation. The first time she was trapped, she somehow escaped the cage, streaked through the room like lightning, clawed her way up the curtains, hissed, spat, and evaded every attempt to recapture her before vanishing. When she was finally retrapped, she was put under close observation. Snipped, but not subdued, she allowed no one near her.
“Not adoptable,” they said. Like so many of my cats before her.
Sophia—whom the four-year-old in the household quickly nicknamed Kokee for her Sokoke breed—was special even among the feral arrivals. The Sokoke, from Kenya, is considered the last truly wild domestic cat breed. They are rare in the United States, known for their intelligence, agility, and fierce independence.
We placed Sophia in the cat room—a feline paradise filled with cat trees, toys, food, and a litter box—and gave her space. She climbed to the tallest perch and made it her command post, watching the world below with sharp eyes, always keeping at least an arm’s length (and usually much more) between herself and any human.
In time, we began letting other cats visit. She tolerated the gentler ones, cautiously, but remained aloof. Independent in her wants, her actions, and her relationships—always.
Two years have passed. Sophia has long since left the cat room, wandering out to the catio and finding other corners of the house that please her. Her favorite spot is the top of the seven-foot tree in the living room—a throne she will defend without hesitation.
Slowly, she has allowed humans closer. First at mealtimes, then for a brief touch. And lately, a transformation: she has decided that human touch can be… enjoyable. That body warmth is comforting. That falling asleep in a lap—on her own terms—is not such a terrible thing after all.
Now, she sometimes comes to me, insisting I put down whatever I’m doing. She climbs onto my lap, licks my face and “paws” (hands), and soon falls asleep there for an hour or more.
This week, she even posed for a photo—a moment that would have been impossible two years ago. I don’t expect a repeat performance today, but perhaps tomorrow. When she decides.
As for adoptability? Of course she was always adoptable.
On her own terms.
Read more posts about Tiger.
Read more Caturday posts.
Learn more about cats. See our many Caturday posts.
Be entertained. See all our posts about cats.
Be inspired. See posts by and about Sula, parish cat, and her books.
Have a chuckle. Read posts by and about Jeremy Feig's award-winning book (book of the year finalist, Kops-Fetherling Lagacy Award for Humor), How My Cat Made Me a Better Man.
Watch for Luna Norwood's forthcoming book, Raising Happy Cat Families. Now available on preorder at MSI Press Webstore. Use Coupon Code FF25 for 25% discount.
To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,
use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.
Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to buy for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.
(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)Check out recent issues.
Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Check out information on how to submit a proposal.
We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us?
Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help.
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.
Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment