A Temporary Cat

We have a cat - probably temporarily.  Her master died and then her mistress fell and broke some bones and is currently undergoing rehabilitation in a nursing home.  We volunteered to care for the cat until her mistress comes home.  Java is a purebred Bombay (a breed I had never heard of before), solid black with large, deep-gold eyes, a sharp break between forehead and nose, and a short muzzle.  Very, very shy, we brought her home and she promptly vanished for two days.  I finally coaxed her out from under our bed Saturday evening, and she immediately turned her behavior around and went from Ellen to me to Ellen to me all evening, purring.  And woke me up at five o'clock Sunday morning, wanting to be fed (she hadn't touched her food before).  Her coat is longer than a short-hair, but lies flat, and is incredibly soft and smooth.  Her cry is short and harsh, not quite as deep or loud as a Siamese, and she has the Siamese short, thin tail.  Wikipedia says her breeder began with a Burmese and a black tomcat.  Now that she's decided we're okay, she comes around often seeking a rub.  She's been through a lot.  First her master disappeared, then her mistress went away - and now two strangers have come and taken her from her only home, so no wonder she was upset.  But she seems to be glad to have human company again – while I was editing this she lay across my chest, kneading my forearm and purring.  When we had to put our last cat to sleep, we swore we were done with cats.  But this mostly isn’t our fault, and so it's nice for us to have a cat in the house again.

Here she is, looking out of the corner of her eye at me while she lies in my lap.