I almost didn't adopt my cat. I planned to adopt a cat, but I hadn't decided which one when I went to the shelter. First time I went there, they showed me around, and each cat had a sign on their door with a little information about them. I noticed how, on one sign, it said "Likes music", so I asked about it. They explained that he liked it when they sang to him, and that he slow-blinked at them whenever they did.
In the back of my head, I thought he'd fit well at home with someone like me who has music on 24/7 then, but I didn't really want a male cat again, and he hissed when they tried to approach him, so he didn't seem too friendly. I picked another female cat that time, went home, and waited for them to respond. I had to contact them again a few days later, since I didn't hear back, and they explained that the female cat I'd picked had already been claimed when I'd been there. Some mix-up.
I went back to the shelter a second time, still unsure what cat I wanted. I did remember the male cat from the first visit, but I kind of wanted a female. (I'd already owned a male cat long ago.) Anyway, I checked out another female, the sister of my first pick, and the male who liked music.
He was more relaxed on my second visit, hissed a bit, but immediately calmed down when they stroked his head with a brush they used to familiarize cats with petting. (Can't use your hands in the beginning.) While I was in his cage, I remembered how I'd read somewhere that if you slow-blink at a cat, they do it back sometimes, so I tried it, and he did it back to me instantly. The woman who worked there tried to explain to me how it's a good sign if the cat does that, until she realized that I'd initiated it. Then she went silent.
I named him
Sturmgeist, and took him home April 1st, a year ago. He is the smartest cat I've ever met. He always meets me at the door when I come home, while purring, and he loves being picked up and cuddled now that he's gotten used to it.
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