Written by and photography supplied by Phillipa Mitchell
This is Shanti. Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘peace’. Shanti came to me quite serendipitously in June this year. Last August, my beloved soul cat, Magic, who was also fluffy and black, was killed by a dog. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to open my heart to another kitty again, but something kept telling me that there was another furry soul out there who needed me as much as I needed him. A friend of mine, upon hearing my contemplations, reached out to Paulette Bousfield, founder of PlumPets Animal Shelter, to see if she didn’t perhaps have a “fluffy male black kitten” (as per my wishes) looking for a home.
The universe delivered instantly, but there was a caveat. Shanti, who was named Pluto at the time, was already six months old and extremely timid. I was a little (okay, a lot) reluctant to even go and see him. I didn’t want to adopt a cat “with history,” but, feeling obliged to go because I’d expressed interest in him, I took the drive from Somerset West to do the necessaries.
The second Paulette lifted the blanket off his cage, I knew, pretty much instantly, that he was coming home with me. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I filled out the adoption forms and collected him two days later once all the home checks had been done.
He spent the first two weeks hiding under my kitchen cabinets, under my bed, behind the bath – pretty much anywhere where he could squeeze himself into. I must say, I spent a lot of time lying on my tummy psst-pssting and trying to coax him out. Every now and then, he’d cautiously come out. Sometimes, he’d let me scratch under his chin. Every now and then, he’d (quite literally) flop over for me to scratch his tummy. Under that timid, scared veneer lay a larger-than-life personality, desperate to come out. I reassured him that he was safe with me and promised him I’d love him with all I had. And so, little by little, he emerged.
There were landmark days, like when he purred for the first time, or when he licked my hand (and wouldn’t stop licking), or when he rubbed himself up against me, and when he jumped onto the bed (that took almost a month), curled up next to me and fell asleep. More recently, when he discovered a catch-the-mouse game on my iPad and spent hours racking up quite a score. And the other day, when he got the zoomies for the first time, racing around and attacking the rugs.
Every day, there’s progress. Every day, he does something new. Every day, his confidence grows. I recently brought in an animal communicator to help him work through his trauma, which is still evident, and she uncovered that he was worried about his siblings and that because he has such a deep sense of responsibility towards them, it was causing him an immense amount of inner turmoil. I’d not for one second thought about his life before he came to me and how he might be processing the change of scenery without his nuclear family. It was such a revelation. Since talking to him and telling him what I knew about his siblings, he’s relaxed so much. The work will continue.
Shanti has been a real ray of light in my life. It’s wonderful to watch him emerge from his shell and blossom. I’m so grateful that we found each other.”
Julia Travis, a volunteer at PlumPets Animal shelter, says...
On 23 January 2022, a cat box was left at the door of the Plumstead Animal Hospital vet shop. Inside the box were three young kittens (a black male and his two sisters). After checking them out medically, giving them tick and flea treatment, dewormer and testing them for feline aids and leukaemia (all three tested negative), we started looking for forever homes for them.
We named the black male kitty Pluto, and he had been with us since then, waiting for his forever home. When a gentleman reached out to us on behalf a friend of his who was looking for a “fluffy, black, male kitten”, Paulette knew we had just the kitty waiting for a home.
The time and patience that Phillipa has put into gaining Shanti’s trust and building his confidence is beyond words, and we are so happy we found the purrfect match for Phillipa and Shanti.
