Althea

Althea is a very quiet cat that has barely made it alive. We do not know what happened to her. All we know is that she was taken to a vet in town in a very serious condition, she couldn’t stand on her legs…

After a few weeks of treatments, she started walking on very short distances, usually from her basket up to the food bowl or to the litter.She didn’t allow anyone to get close to her and when she started feeling better, she has even begun to growl and hit any hand that wanted to reach her. Unfortunately, this type of behaviour continued up to the present day. The only thing she allows you to do is to leave some food for her somewhere close.

Her name is most likely based on a Greek word that means “healing,” and she got it when she came to us, as it was a miracle that she survived, even if her head remained tilted to one side. Usually, we see her sitting in her basket, always awake, very attentive to any newcomers and their intentions. Sometimes we surprise her playing and walking through the room – but for this she has to believe that we are no longer in the shelter! The moment she sees us, she returns to her basket.

Althea remained unchanged in the four years since she has been with us, as if time had stopped for her. She is just as beautiful with her green and big eyes, and just as wild when it comes to putting a finger on her: you do not even see when she raises her paw, there is no warning whatsoever, you just feel a sharp and short pain where she hit you. Why she refuses so stubbornly to get closer, what the poor cat had been through or who hurt her, we will never find out.

Althea would make us all happy if, one day, she would allow us to pet her. Maybe, but just maybe, we could make her forget what has happened to her and we could give her some of our love and cuddles. Up to that point, we don’t have any choice but to wait and try our luck from time to time. Maybe we will end up with a scratch, but perhaps we will be successful. We’ll never know until we try, won’t we?