It's been 10 long years since I've adopted a young cat, but Zeki is worth the wait. A Turkish Van mix, she is -- at best guess -- 14 months, but has already survived being a stray on the Dallas streets, being skinned and contending with a corneal ulcer.

My adoption was arranged through my friend, Dusty Rainbolt, who has fostered felines for 20 years. It was an ideal adoption because Dusty knows the temperaments of my dogs, Chipper and Cleo and my cat, Murphy and she lives near my sister, Deb in Texas where I spent the Christmas holidays.

Prior to my adoption through Animal Allies of Texas, Zeki was made famous as sweet kitten named Edwina who survived being skinned with a hunter's knife that left a 3-inch gash on her back. A senior named Edwina covered much of her medical costs and the ASPCA posted a $5,000 reward to capture the attacker.

I renamed her Zeki because it stands for "clever and courageous" in Turkish - two traits she aptly displays. Zeki is conquering her medical challenges and unleashing purrs and affection to everyone she meets. 

To demonstrate how far she has come, here are two links.

• The first aired on CBS-TV after her attack.

• One day after Zeki flew home with me, she made headlines in my local newspaper, the North County Times.