Tiffany Wines & Athena

“I wasn't looking for a cat when I found Athena. My roommates and I had just moved to Bushwick in mid-may 2016 and unlike the dorms we'd occupied previously we were responsible for furnishing our new place ourselves, which gets expensive fast. Naturally, we turned to Craigslist to see what people were offering to sell or give away. We found all our essentials like beds and couches easily but I really wanted a dresser. One day during a cursory search of “Craigslist Free” I found an ad seeking a new home for a cat. it didn't contain much information aside from her name and that she had one blue eye and one green.I emailed asking for a photo and within hours had plans to pick her up the next day. I wondered who would give away such a sweet cat but it turned out she'd belonged to a beautiful young mom whose son was becoming more and more allergic so she had no choice but to rehome Athena as soon as possible. 

It's never easy to let go of a pet you love but I'm so glad it happened. Athena is my best friend, no exaggeration. when I'm home, we're inseparable – she follows me from room to room purring and winding around my ankles. Every morning I wake up to her bumping her face gently against mine, and when I leave her sight for too long she howls till I come back and say hello. Taking care of her is an integral part of taking care of myself, it fills me with warmth and purpose every day. I still don't have a dresser but I do have the love of my life.”Tiffany Wines is a 21-year old student and intern at the fader. She writes and works as a freelance photographer, but being a cat mom is closest to her heart