It is a truth universally acknowledged that a human being of legal age, acceptable mental well-being, good physical shape, in possession of a few relatives and a living space with the potential to accommodate a food bowl, a toilet, and a scratching post, must be in want of a cat.

Olena Zheldak was born on November 13, 1981, in Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, having personally survived Russia’s full-scale invasion, she wrote and self-published an autobiographical wartime narrative, “From Irpin with L̶o̶v̶e̶ Pain,” and collaborated with the British author Paul White by writing a lead story for his new edition of “Life in the War Zone.” In 2025, her essay, “Life Interrupted. Resumed. Ended.” was published in the 195 Essays Project by 2084.