Zary

With between 800 and 900 cats at the sanctuary and all of them having names, learning what names go with what faces takes a while.

Distinctive markings make this face easy to remember, but its owner is shy and generally found peering down from the top of one of the cages.

My friend Vincent dubbed her "Surgical Cat" because the crescents of white on her cheeks look a little like the outline of a surgical mask.

Today, thanks to the fact that she has a bit of a cold and is in a cage for meds and extra food, I learned Surgical Cat is more commonly known as Zary. And, according to the sign posted on her door, she's not just shy but feral. Impressive, then, that she's as friendly as she is. She won't allow herself to be touched, of course, but she quite cheerfully meowed for her dinner and wasn't overly concerned about me coming in her cage to take pictures after.

Maybe she'll turn out to be one of those cats who will climb down from her high perch one day and forget that she's scared of being softed. Hey, if it worked for Audrey...