Happy Tail: Ramon
A cat can make a simple residence — even a residence in an adopted land far from family and friends — feel like a home. Just ask Kateryna, loving adoptive human to gentle, good-natured Ramon.
“Myself and my roommate Anastasiia keep saying that even though we’re renting, this place started feeling like home when Ramon came here,” Kateryna confirms. “We wonder, ‘How did we even live without him?’ His purring and fluffiness… We really love him.”
In 2022, Kateryna emigrated to Canada from Ukraine, leaving behind a situation she describes as “tough.” She knew she wanted a cat. “I wanted to take care of something,” she says, adding that Anastasiia is also from Ukraine. “I love cats because they are independent but at the same time, they are fun. And I wanted to find a cat that needed help.”
Enter Ramon, described by both Kateryna and foster Prisha as almost otherworldly in his friendliness, cuddliness, and eagerness to be around people. “Ramon was my longest foster and my first permanent, as opposed to seasonal, foster,” Prisha says. “He was also the first cat in my first apartment where I was living alone.
“And he made it a home as well. Something about him is so special. He would literally run up to the door and scream in excitement when I got home. I love all my fosters but Ramon… I mean, people would bring him gifts,” she laughs. “He had this crazy appeal to everyone.”
Little is known about Ramon’s backstory though Prisha recalls being told he was a former street cat who turned up at a colony and was immediately pegged as being a good candidate for transitioning indoors. Indeed, he was described by his “rescue mom” Natalie as “a gem of a cat.” He landed with Prisha in September 2024.
Pre-adoption treatment of asthma meant that Ramon stayed with Prisha for about seven months. Prisha was also very selective about potential forever homes, knowing Ramon needed lots of human attention. Two prospective adopters didn’t fit the bill.
But Kateryna worked from home and had a roommate. “When I was fostering Ramon, he loved it when someone would come over,” Prisha recalls. “He would plop himself between two people and just look up at us. He wanted to be there. Kateryna and Ramon got along right away.”
And so, the match became official in April 2025 when Ramon went home to Kateryna and Anastasiia, “who adores him,” Kateryna says. “And he adores her.”
Ramon is less enthused about what Kateryna describes as “electric sounds. Fans, vacuum cleaners, cat toys with mechanisms. Finding entertainment for him was trial and error.
“I bought a machine to trim his nails that was supposed to be gentler than scissors, but I couldn’t even try it because the moment he heard its very soft buzz, he was out,” she says.
“I am grateful to Annex for giving me this chance. It was a very smooth experience. I know both Prisha and Annex took good care of Ramon’s health and made sure he found the right home.” Asked why she didn’t change his name on adoption, Kateryna chuckles. “It matches his personality very well. He’s a lovely cat who finds a way to make everyone fall in love with him.”
-Kim Hughes
