PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a shy cat at Berkshire Humane Society looking for patient owners.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Asta is a one-year-old domestic short hair who has been at the shelter since March.

"She is very spunky, full of energy, loves to play. She's definitely a quirky girl looking for a home that the people know cat body language very well, just because she can be very nervous and very shy at first. So it takes her a little bit of time to warm up to people, but once she comes around, she's full of energy, full of personality, and she's pretty amazing," said feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell.

Once Asta comes out of her shell she loves to play, especially with her deer toy, which is something that would have to go home with her if adopted.

"Her favorite toy is her deer toy. She wrestles it and loves it so much her little deer stuffed animal. She also likes the little balls with the bells inside of them that kind of roll around and stuff like that. She is really playful. She really loves playing with any toy, but loves her dear the most," said Petell.

"The home that she came from, she didn't get enough time or exposure to affection, meaning, with hands and stuff like that. So she's not super used to being around people. In that sense, she didn't get enough attention in general. So that's why we're trying to look for a home where she has enough time to let out her energy and her playful personality, but she really didn't have the home that the people didn't really understand her well enough to be able to deal with her kind of personality and the amount of energy she has."

Asta's new owners will have to be older and have no other animals as Asta doesn't like other cats or dogs.

"Asta is a little more hard to place, just because she really doesn't like other cats, so she would need to be the only cat in the home. And of course, she wouldn't be good in a home with children, so older kids or adults would be best for her, but she does require a lot more time and patience with her personality just knowing the way she is," Petell said.

If you would like to meet with Asta you will have to give her time to warm up to you, which might take more than one visit.

"Since she's a little more on the nervous side, it might take a couple meet and greets with her to kind of see how she really is, and when she does go into the home, it will take her a lot more time to ease up and get used to her new owners," she said.

But once you get to know her you'll be sure to take her home.

"It's all new to her, but with enough time and patience, she can warm up and be a amazing, sweet, lovely, girlie," Petell said.

You can visit Asta at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about her on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.