Entrant's Name
Avis

Animal Bio
Pachuca

Pachuca is a very lucky 3-1/2 year-old female cat from Mérida, Mexico. Life is challenging for domestic pets in Mexico, and hers was no exception. She was dumped, young and pregnant, from a car into a strange neighbourhood where she sustained herself by eating lizards. Then things got really bad – she was savagely attacked by feral animals. She survived but her unborn kittens didn’t.

Fortunately, her luck changed when she was found by some Canadian friends who took her to the vet where she underwent surgical repair, spaying, and vaccination. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, her new friends were unable to return to Canada for a number of months and took her in as a temporary pet. Knowing that her chances of being adopted from a shelter in her town were next to zero, they posted an adorable photo on Facebook and, lucky for me, I was the first to see. It was still a couple of months before they were able to get flights home, but these kind and generous women not only bought her a seat on the plane but delivered her, complete with carrier, to my doorstep – and now even provide cat-sitting services when I am away!

In spite of her traumatic experiences, Pachuca is a very sweet and affectionate kitty who loves to play with simple toys like paper bags and boxes and will play fetch just like a dog with a little foam soccer ball.

A little about her name: She was originally called Chaan by her rescuers (a Mayan word meaning small), but she quickly outgrew that description and is now a sturdy adult cat who loves to find her own food — in a bowl — and shows no interest in hunting whatsoever! We named her Pachuca, as my husband and I had been jokingly called Pachuco and Pachuca on our own trips to Mexico when we dressed up in flashy clothes. (The terms refer to members of a Mexican counterculture group of the 1930s-1950s; the men wore zoot suits as a trademark.). The name fits her perfectly, as she came with her own “tuxedo.”