Back in March of 2000, Andrew and I adopted a cat from the Halifax Humane Society, located in Daytona, where we were living together at the time. The cat Andrew had ended up selecting was a domestic short-hair, almost entirely black in coloration, save for a small little dab of white on her chest. Her age was estimated at approximately nine months. We decided to name her Rand, after Ayn, the egoist philosopher.
When we first got Rand to her new home she was withdrawn and shy. She would hide deep underneath the bed with her back sheltered in the corner. She was then especially protective of her belly, as she had been recently spayed. Slow motions, soft touches, and gentle words eventually won her over and became less wary of us.
This picture was taken on my birthday in April, at which point nearly a month had passed since we had brought Rand home. By this time, she was following us from room to room in our tiny one-bedroom apartment, jumping into our seats as soon as we vacated them, and she began to sleep out in the open (usually on the bed with us at night).
This picture was taken in August of 2000. We had just made the relocation to Arlington, Virginia. Rand traveled along with us in the car, inside of her carrier for a large part of the journey, and she cried the entire way. The wrapping paper and the boxes were likely the best part of the whole moving experience as far as she was concerned.
Rand has now been a companion to us for over three years. She only still follows us around when we just come in from being out, she no longer steals our seats when we vacate them, and she continues to sleep with us each and every night (usually either on Andrew's butt, on the small of his back, or in my arms during the cold winter months). She likes to have her ears gently tugged, her belly rubbed, and the back of her legs scratched.
-- CrystalShiloh @ 01:33 PM