In my mother tongue of Dutch, Mooja was definitely living up to her name. In it, I can hear the word ‘mooi’, which means beautiful. And she is gorgeous without a shadow of a doubt. A Russian Blue with a perky red scarf attached to her collar. She didn’t seem to mind wearing  it. Unlike many other cats, she didn’t attempt to get rid of it. As if she knew how good it looked on her!  She was one of the (many) cats I had a weakness for at first sight. Perhaps because during that first visit, she came sit down next to me on the couch, after which she stretched herself out on the carpet, showing off her velvety tummy! 

As soon as her owner had left, and it was just the two of us, she showed a different side of herself. She still displayed a certain amount of curiosity, especially when I got home early in the evening. I would find her on top of the stairs, from where she would stare, eyes wide open.  But after that first hello, she would vanish into another room, to nestle at one of her favourite spots: on the chair under the desk, on top of the loft bed or the aquarium. The tropical fish showed no signs of anxiety at all, and I understood quite well why she had picked it: it was nice and warm! 

As we didn’t bond straight away, I decided to dust off some old tricks. A daily brushing brought us closer together. Initially, she seemed to have to get used to touch, but it didn’t take her long to enjoy it to the max. She’d lie down on the carpet, all stretched out, so that I would be able to brush all of her gorgeous fur, turning every now and again.  Another recipe for success was a catnip toy. She would play with it endlessly. But also, the tiny mouse that was packed with the delivery turned out to be to her liking. She slapped it around the room, as if it were a living animal.

It didn’t take long for us to become as thick as thieves. She didn’t only greet me upon arrival, she also started to keep me company. When I sat down on the sofa, she’d be next to me.  Whenever I sat at the table, she’d be lying on the carpet, at my feet and even at night, she’d be close: preferably on top of my feet on the end of the bed! 
She turned out to be a delightfully communicative cat, that meowed at me as soon as I caught her eye. Loud purring would start as soon as she came sit next to me, anticipating on the stroking and tickling that she knew she would soon receive.
But every sit comes to an end. As her owner would arrive late in the evening, I made sure she would have everything she needed until that time. Then I petted her one last time, went down the stairs and left.