PhD student Nura has always loved cats. Though she was not allowed to keep any pets of her own during her growing up years, the thought had been in her mind for the longest time.

But, just like all things in life, owning a pet would happen at the right time and at the right place. For Nura, she said it was after she had settled down with her husband Tristan in their new home.

“I wanted a pet to give me a sense of responsibility and accountability. Plus, it would be a nice addition to our family,” said Nura.

As someone who believes that prospective pet owners should adopt and not shop, Nura hopped on Google and searched for the nearest pet shelter.

“I know a lot of people fork out cash to get an exotic breed but I just wanted to give a cat a good home,” she said.

As she browsed through the list of cats up for adoption, she tentatively decided on a brown tabby cat and the couple set up a date on which they would go and meet the chosen cat in person.

“We did eventually meet the cat and completely overlooked the others, but there were no sparks,” Nura admitted, noting that there were so many adorable and eager kittens waiting to be picked up at the adoption centre.

It turned out that the brown cat that the Reids wanted to pick up was extremely popular, with a few people waiting to see him in person.

“We were ready to leave without a kitten or cat to adopt, and I thought it was going to be a disappointing day until I laid eyes on Isla.”

Nura says Isla was housed at the very last corner of the beds, and was sitting quietly on her own despite the pandemonium of meowing kittens and eager kids jumping in excitement.

“Isla was isolated, tired, weak and the adoption agency mentioned that she had been there for quite some time. They were worried that she couldn’t find a suitable home,” Nura recalled.

“But I said hello to her, touched and pet her head for the very first time and there were fireworks!”

Nura added that Isla was scared, almost unwanted. She was overlooked by others and looked like she had a rough beginning. But Isla was ‘the one’, said Nura.

The couple signed the papers, took her home and watched Isla blossom into a beautiful, intelligent, fierce young lady who, according to Nura, is “not afraid to bite your head if you are brave enough to sleep in your own pillow.”

But every day with Isla has been a good day since then, said Nura. Isla has taught both Nura and Tristan to wind down, and they both look forward to sleeping at night with her next to them.

“When we walk down the stairs, she always leads and goes first, but she would occasionally turn her head around to check if we’re still behind,” Nura said with fondness in her voice.

At close to six years old, the couple describes Isla as cheeky, intelligent, oftentimes bossy and persistent.

The tortoiseshell British Shorthair is also not the friendliest towards strangers, said Nura, but she will extend her utmost loyalty once she trusts you.

“I know she’s secretly in love with us and misses us when we’re gone. She’s not a lap cat, and she’s not super cuddly either but she shows her love by trusting us to watch her back when she eats.

“She never scratches our furniture, and she’ll sometimes bring us random gifts to ‘feed’ us,” said Nura, who added that cats only do that when they think their owners are ‘terrible hunters’.

Practical love language aside, Isla is said to enjoy watching little insects, ripping plastic bags and sniffing things in the garage. She absolutely detests water and she has never had a bath in her almost six years of existence.

Her ultimate favourite food is canned tuna with white gravy but she occasionally steals cheese, whipped cream and Lurpak butter. Nura said that Isla was even caught with an Original Pringle once.

Isla responds to ‘Lala’ or ‘Belalang’, which is phonetically similar to ‘Isla’, and she’ll come dashing towards Nura’s and Tristan’s outstretched hands for a head scratch or two.

“Another cool trick is, if you lay out a worn, used or dirty T-shirt on the floor, she’ll come and slither on top. However, don’t take this as an invitation to give a belly rub!” laughed Nura.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.