Carissa Hilliard and Zeeka

 

“Zeeka is no ordinary cat.She is Siamese, and very aware of that, thank you very much. She knows her ancestors were kept in temples and lauded by the monks and royals of Siam, offered the finest cuts of meat on jewel-encrusted plates and given beds of silk pillows. Zeeka expects the finest. And she gets her way.I christened her Zeeka well before the virus (and how ironic that I work in public health), but by god, she is quite the destructive little force. Her antics are well known amongst my friends across the social media stratosphere, and we even got a feature on Inside Edition.We are twin souls and best friends. When I do my nails, she holds her paws out for me so that I can file hers as well. When I put makeup on, she begs for me to rub blush on her cheeks. I have to brush her hair every day for 20 minutes, and absolutely no less. Each night she paws at the covers so that she can lie down next to me, head on the pillow, blankets up to her chin. There are literally no boundaries between us: she even sits in the bathtub with me, suspiciously impervious to water.Zeeka is the life of the party. While most cats run and hide at the thought of 20 people pre-gaming in a 400 square foot apartment, Zeeka blossoms, slinking around the legs of partygoers and prancing along the counters, soaking in every ounce of attention she can get. She poses for the camera, her ice blue eyes twinkling in the flash as she sashays and swings her tail. That characteristic Siamese yowl is ever-present as she chatters and prattles on about her day; she never stops speaking her mind, and that’s what I like to see in a woman.Zeeka is not ordinary, but I have never been ordinary myself. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me: she is me. Just like her namesake, she has infected me. I am a slave to the Zeeka virus for life.”By day Carissa Hilliard works in healthcare public relations; by night, she is a vampire witch usually covered in glitter. Her life is an ongoing fracas between science and art. She currently resides in Upper East Side (only the fanciest neighborhood will do for Zeeka).