My New Cat Purred! A Huge Breakthrough (Then a Scare)

It finally happened. I heard a purr. Not a guess, not a hopeful imagining, but a real, rumbling, actual purr. I was just sitting on the floor last night, scrolling on my phone, and Luna, who has been getting progressively braver, walked right over and rubbed her face on my shin. My heart did this little flip-flop thing. I held my breath and slowly, so slowly, reached down to scratch under her chin. And then I felt it more than I heard it at first—this little vibration that grew into a full-on motor. I almost cried, not even kidding. It felt like this massive breakthrough, like she was finally telling me she's okay here. It was the best sound in the world.

She's been making so much progress. She actually comes out for her feeding times now and will eat while I'm in the same room, which is a huge deal. And she's started sitting on the far end of the couch when I'm watching TV, which is a big step up from hiding under it. It's like every day she pushes her own boundaries a little bit more. The extreme shyness is still there, but it's mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity now. Our daily play sessions with the wand toy have become a real ritual, something she looks forward to. It's our way of communicating, and it's been so cool to watch her confidence grow as she 'hunts' the feathers.

The Great Counter Expedition

Of course, just when I was feeling all warm and fuzzy and proud of our progress, she reminded me that she is, in fact, a cat. I was in the kitchen making coffee this morning when I heard this impossibly loud THUMP behind me. I spun around and there she was, sitting right in the middle of the kitchen counter, looking completely pleased with herself. My heart just about leaped out of my chest. All I could think about were things like the hot stove, knives, cleaning chemicals. She just looked at me and did a slow blink, like, 'What? This is a great view.' I panicked for a second, then I just took a deep breath, gently picked her up, put her on the floor and said a firm 'no.' I have a feeling this is going to be a new battle.

Still, the good moments are starting to far outweigh the panicked ones. I'm finally starting to understand her language. I can tell the difference between her 'I'm annoyed' tail-flick and her 'I'm curious' tail-twitch. I know that when her ears are pointed towards something, she's locked in. I just sat there on the floor with her purring and thought about how a week ago she was just a shadow and now she's this little being with a whole personality and I'm just so glad I was patient. This whole thing has been a lesson in letting go of my expectations. But the counter thing is definitely going to require some research. Why is it always something new?

As a consolation prize for the counter incident, I finally caved and ordered this huge, multi-level cat tree online. It was a pain to put together (honestly, the instructions were terrible), but the second it was built, Luna was all over it. She cautiously sniffed every level before scrambling right up to the highest perch. She sat up there, surveying the living room like she was the queen of all she could see. Seeing her up high and confident like that, using something I got specifically for her, made me feel so ridiculously proud. The 'new adopter panic' I felt so strongly at the beginning is really starting to fade. It's being replaced with something much, much better.