Red-Devil... The Cat Who Loves Mirrors

by Diane
(Brooklyn, NY)

Red-Devil was 6 weeks old when I met him at Kings Highway Cat Rescue.

The story of this tiny ball of red fur huddled in the corner of a cage broke my heart, and I called him mine the moment I laid eyes on him.

He was found on a snowdrift and was rescued the day before we met. It was 12 degrees, and I was told that he was covered with ice and grease and was unable to walk... and he was starving.

He appeared to be paralyzed but he just needed to thaw out. This little kitty soon grew into a big, healthy, beautiful cat with a luxurious coat of fur.

Red-Devil is a very shy cat and he gets frightened easily. The sound of thunder or a car backfiring in the street makes him howl and run for cover. Should I get within 6 feet of him he runs like the devil.

Still, he is curious, full of life and loves to drag things around the house. He also has a fascination with mirrors and can sit in front of one and stare at himself for long periods of time. Mirrors don't lie and I guess he can see that he's hot stuff.

Here's the story the way he tells it:

"I first met Diane (or Diabella as she calls herself) at Kings Highway Cat Rescue on a cold January day while she was visiting the shelter to do volunteer work.

She told me that I was beautiful even though there was no fur on my nose, and to prove it she let me look into a tiny mirror that she removed from her pocketbook. It was the first time I had ever seen a mirror and I *LOVED* what I saw.

The rescuers had spotted me the previous evening atop a high snowdrift. I was crying cuz I was hungry and cuz it was soooo very cold.

I was covered with grease and icicles and the frost had burned all the fur off my pink nose. However, I'm sure that I still looked very beautiful. Everyone thought that I was paralyzed because I could not walk, but I was just frozen stiff and had to thaw out.

Diabella said that it broke her heart to look at me and I went home with her that day. Although I am very shy I am a real ball of fire, extremely mischievous, and a devil in the real sense of the word.

I like to push tomatoes off the kitchen counter and kick them around the house like footballs. I enjoy chasing the tails of Katzenberg and Count Dracula and biting Diabella's toes when the lights go out. However, my very favorite hobby is preening in front of mirrors and I smile a satisfied smile whenever I see my reflection.

Come visit me and see for yourself how pretty I am for a boy cat."