GRAIS

My name is Grais and I am a mixed breed cat.

My house was in a small village in the Kherson region. It smelled of flowers, and my owner's kitchen always smelled of baked goods, which she loved to cook early in the morning. Life was calm and wonderful, but I did not understand this until the war came to us.

Literally everything changed in a few minutes. My owner disappeared, and all I had to do was hide in the basement of the house, where it was dark and damp.

It was very scary from the constant shelling, but sometimes, late at night, I would leave the basement to find some leftover food or drink some water from a puddle. Every time I heard very loud sounds, I thought it was my last day. And every day I believed less and less in a miracle and that someone would save me someday.

But then the military entered the basement. They were shining flashlights, and I hid, thinking that they would chase me away. But instead I heard: “Hello, little one. Are you having as hard a time here as we are? But please don’t worry. We will take you away from here.”. One of them carefully leaned over and extended his hand to me. I was shaking with fear, but his voice was calm and warm. And I trusted him.

Now I live in a shelter. I have my own bowl of food again, a warm blanket and people who come to me every day. They say that I am very gentle. I purr in response, letting them know that I am grateful for everything.

I believe that one day I will have a loving person again and a house filled with the smell of real love and care.