Nala and the Ross Ryans : Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail
“Last summer, we lost both of our longtime pets within a few months of each other,” says Mary. “It was a very difficult time for our household. Since we were building a new home in another state and selling the one here, we decided to wait until the ‘dust settled’ before adopting again.
“However, as fate would have it, our granddaughter was in town visiting us, and we saw a sign outside PetSmart indicating that Furry Friends had cats for adoption inside. Animal lovers all, we decided to stop in ‘just for a look’ and some ‘fur therapy.’ The staff was very gracious, allowing us to love on and visit with the cats although we had explained that we weren’t yet ready to adopt. They gave us a flyer with their contact information -- just in case. Very low key, no pressure, but they said that we could stop by the shelter anytime to learn more about the facility and meet some of their other kitties.
“No sooner had we returned home than we realized the house was just too quiet without the patter of little feet. I went to the shelter the next day, again just for a visit, but my heart was stolen by a pushy little tortoiseshell cat who decided she was going home with me, and that was that! She marched up, pushed her brother aside and started rubbing on my legs, begging for pets. I tried to be fair, spent time with the others and even waited overnight, but there was no arguing with little Roxy.
“We decided on a name change -- equal votes for Nala and Mocha -- so she’s now called Mochanala, Nala for short. We’re continually surprised by how such a little fur ball can fill an entire house with her giant personality, her antics and endless supply of energy. She starts at 5:30 AM with a round of kitty parkour up and down the hall into the living room until someone gets up to feed her. As soon as she hears footsteps, she flops on her back in the doorway demanding pets and rubs until she decides that she’s ready for breakfast. Then she’ll sit on the couch and watch the news until the next person wakes up, repeating the door greeting and hoping for a second breakfast!
“Although Nala likes fishing pole type toys best, it irks her that she can’t grab the feathers or dangly fluffball, take them into another room and destroy them in peace. Quite by accident, however, we discovered that she adores playing fetch. While she loves chasing rolled up pieces of foil paper, play mice and plastic balls, her favorites are small, colored cat springs. As soon as she spots one in your hand, her eyeballs dilate, all motion ceases, and she’s focused on chasing it down.
“We have vinyl plank flooring and she intentionally skitters and slides around, batting it like a well-seasoned soccer player moving in on the goal. As soon as that ceases to be fun, she brings it back and drops it on your feet with a little ‘coo’ to let you know that she’s ready for another round. When it’s time for a break, she hides the spring somewhere safe: in that small space beside the refrigerator, under the stove, under the couch ... We think half of the fun for her is making us crawl around on the floor trying to guess where she hid it last!
“Another interesting trait of Nala’s is that she doesn’t meow, only the occasional purr. Her signature noise is that truncated ‘coo-ing’ sound -- completely her own -- and it suits her to a T. She’s affectionate but not necessarily gentle, never runs out of energy and has completely stolen our hearts. We’re so glad we stopped in that day!”
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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
