Make me a Chanel of Your Peace pet solo

Ever since she found out that she had ways with cats, eight-year-old Elisabeth tried to be around them as much as possible. At first she was pleased with her auntie's pets, but at the same time, she felt she wanted to do more than that, to socialise with and take care of other cats. With the help of her aunt, Elisabeth found an opportunity to volunteer in a local cat shelter.

She was happy volunteering there, and she also got new friends, fellow volunteers who were about her age. Elisabeth was a quick learner and soon she knew very well what to do at both routine and slight emergency; of course, super-emergency situations had to be handled by more senior volunteers and vets, and Elisabeth knew when she needed to approach them.

Mr Brown, the shelter head, had known Elisabeth was very good with cats even from the beginning, but he had never realised how really good she was until he saw Joanne nuzzled her body to Elisabeth's hand.

Joanne was one of the shyest cats in the shelter. She was not only shy with humans but around fellow felines as well, and so far no one had expressed their wish to adopt her because of her shy personality. This made Mr Brown rather sad, particularly since all of Joanne's biological siblings had found their forever homes. Of course she was always welcomed here, but Mr Brown thought it was better for animals in cities, who could not live in the wilderness, to have a personal home and a caring owner; that way, they could receive more attention focused on each of them rather than in a shelter where there were lots of other animals to take care of.

"Joanne and her siblings arrived over two years ago as baby kittens," Mr Brown told Elisabeth one day. "I'm glad that she starts opening up ever since you help taking care of her. I think she likes and trusts you." Sure not all cats - in or outside the shelter - liked Elisabeth the way Disney protagonists are pictured, but Joanne did, and Elisabeth also found herself falling in love with the white-and-dark-grey cat. She liked all of them, but Joanne had a special place in her heart. (The only thing she did not like about the cat? Her name!)

Mr Brown never even once tried to persuade Elisabeth to adopt Joanne, but the Belizean girl really hoped for it to happen - not the persuasion, naturally, but the adoption. Thus, she tried very hard to prove to her parents that she would be a responsible owner. She kept on volunteering in the local shelter and taking care of Ayi Anna's cats; in addition, now she sometimes pet-sat Ayi Anna's neighbours' cats when they were away.

Finally, seeing how responsible she was and how much she loved cats, Mr and Mrs Erner granted their daughter's wish to adopt Joanne (and changed her name). Even though Elisabeth did not want to put a leash on her new cat, Ayi Anna advised her that it might be necessary for the first few weeks when they went out for a walk ("Just to make sure your new cat won't panic and run when she sees vehicles before she's used to it."). The healer also helped her niece with the administration process, and even though Mr Brown stated that the cat was a grey mackerel tabby, Elisabeth lovingly called her a moggie instead. After roughly spending her first 2.5 years being a local shelter's cat, the kitty finally had a forever human and a forever home!

Funnily, the Hispanic-Asian girl seemed not to be able to decide on her cat's name ("Certainly not Joanne!"). One afternoon, though, the name was settled.

At that time, Elisabeth and the new cat were strolling in a park not far from a church. The two were taking a rest nearby a man-made fountain, and the owner was deeply interested in the statue put in the middle of the fountain. It was the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, beneath him the words "Make me a Channel of Your Peace" were inscribed. Elisabeth was very familiar with the words, but that very moment, it attracted her interest greatly.

It could be a perfect name for her kitty.

At first, she tried Peace. No, she did not like it although the meaning was wonderful. What about "peace" in another language? Paz (Spanish)? Damai (Indonesian)? Pacem or Pax (Latin)? Pingan (Mandarin)? No, no, no, and no...

The dark-haired girl looked at the inscription once again, and the word channel caught her black eyes. "Chanel," she said inside. "Chanel sounds like a beautiful name for her." Besides, it rhymes with "flannel" - a material as soft as the cat's fur...

Excitedly, Elisabeth video-called her parents and brother that evening, even before her auntie was home. "Her name is Chanel," she announced proudly. "Chanel as in Coco Chanel, but not because of her - because of St Francis of Assisi. Here's why..."