James & Okoye

Cat, female, 12+yrs

Adopted Oct 2021

Single cat household

James adopted Okoye in Oct 2021, in memory of his previous adopted cat who passed away 2 months prior. He wanted to honour his beloved kitty by adopting another cat in the same situation that she was in when he adopted her - senior, with health conditions and generally deemed “unadoptable”. So he contacted Metta, and we all cried a little inside when he asked for our least-likely-to-get-adopted cat.

We shortlisted a few, and James settled on a big, gentle, quiet lady whom we called Old Black. She was very reserved, always keeping herself to herself, and had never, ever been noticed by potential adopters because she’s black, “not cute” (as in, not bubbly and affectionate) and a senior.

James brought Old Black home and named her Okoye, after the Wakandan general from Blank Panther - because she was always jumping onto hard to reach places, e.g. top of fridge. This was AMAZING news to us. Old Black? Jumping?! Looks like she was utterly delighted to have been given a second lease of life.

James’ previous cat had never clawed at anything, so he had initial apprehensions about whether Okoye was the scratchy type. Luckily, with regular trimming + an abundance of scratching posts, this has been well- managed.

Okoye now has a regular routine: meows at James for food, then meows at him for post-food cuddles. She is serious about her noms - she swipes her paw at him (without claws thankfully) when he walks past without feeding her. She frequently greets him at the door when he returns home, especially when the lady is hungry. And adorably, she likes to snuggle with him on the couch when he’s gaming (see 2nd photo).

We are beyond delighted that Okoye has found her tribe and family. In true Wakandan fashion: Okoye and James Forever!