Perhaps the very first and most important story is about how she chose me. I found her at a shelter, whose Instagram page I came across by chance. A young female volunteer had started taking in animals abandoned by their owners. Of course, there were also animals simply found on the streets under less tragic circumstances, but most of them had trust issues with people.

So, when I visited the shelter to bring treats for the animals and meet the volunteer in person, all the cats kept their distance; almost none came close, and even fewer allowed themselves to be petted. Only Vasilisa stood out from the crowd — she almost immediately came over, placed her front paws on my lap, and purred loudly as I stroked her. I couldn’t get her out of my mind after that. Three weeks later, I convinced my family, and we went to take her home from the shelter. I hope she hasn’t regretted her choice.