Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Meet the new kids



The female is short hair grey with white – Eliza.
 The males is a fluffy black with white – Ezra
You can't see it, but he does have a full milk mustache
Rachel, another long term foster home for the shelter (we started at the same time), took these two.  They aren't exactly feral, but they have that "please oh please go away and most definitely do not touch me" vibe.  Having seen first hand the transformation of Agatha/Dorian/Henry she asked if I wanted to take them and see if I couldn't help them out.

It is going to be harder, as they are a little older and they are 'wary' not 'scared'.  You'd think that would be easier to deal with, but usually you simply have to show scared that nothing bad is going to happen.  Wary means rebuilding confidence and trust.  My current female foster is wary.. and while she was hiding last night when I went in she was out and about and I was able to put hands on her easily a few times.  she is going to need a home that accepts that she needs a little time.

ANYWAY... Back to Ezra and Eliza.  I set them up in the cage and they both said please go away.  I gave them a litter box, they said please go away.  I gave them dry food, they said please go away (and when I went away they went right to the food) I gave them water and they kept eating but Ezra was hesitant trying to decide if he should retreat to the corner.

These amenities they get 'for free'  Everything else comes with trust.

I got some raw food (all fosters got raw) and they were both VERY interested.  Interested enough to walk toward me and get near me.  They liked it enough to let me pat them.  When it was gone I opened up a can of food.  They were still hungry, and I gave small bits.  They would eat it quickly and then be in a position to realize they were near me and nothing bad was happening.  When they realized this they got another bite or two.  I got them right up to the edge of the cage, and I got my nose very close to Ezra (yes, I have a soft spot for him - he reminds me too much of Ollie) and he let me with out moving away.

When all the food was eaten, he went back to his corner and cringed a bit when I went to pat him.  Eliza however started purring a little.  

It's a long road, but it was a good first step.

12 comments:

  1. that is a GREAT first step. While the tough ones give us heartburn sometimes, we think that seeing them come around can be the greatest reward. :)

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  2. Oh look at those cuties! That's a lot of progress for just one nigh, hooray!

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  3. they will come round eventually

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  4. Hooray for first steps! My wary little Porter charged the door this morning and insisted that I pick him up and snuggle him. I was so thrilled that I let him rub his little ringworm face all over me. Thought twice about medicating him (the reason that he is so wary) but needed to do it anyway. Hoping he remembers the loving more than the medicating the next time through the door.

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  5. Those are great first steps! And they are beautiful babies.

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  6. Kelly,

    when I have to do "bad things" to kittens I often give special treats afterwards like meat baby food to try to make it a little more forgivable. I know a lot of people who have diabetic cats who have to do ear pricks to draw blood to test. after a while they ASK to have their blood tested because they know it means they'll get a treat and love :)

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  7. Bribes will get you everywhere. Adorable kitties. Ditto on the begging for treatment Connie, my mother and I had a lab not long ago who needed allergy shots every 2 weeks. to distract him from the needle we smeared his food bowl with peanut butter. That dog even at 13 with arthritis would RUN at the sound of the PB jar and stand ready for his shots. Maybe a week after he put the two together he would do the same thing to the sound of the box the needles were kept in.

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  8. You certainly know what you are doing, Connie!! xx

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  9. Oh sweet Ezra and beautiful Eliza! Oh wow. Oh they are adorable! So happy they are with you! Hopefully the wariness will disappear and there will only be purrs!! Take care
    x

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  10. Sounds like they are getting confidence and trust with you :-)
    They are both so adorable and lucky to have you being so patient and caring.

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  11. Thank you for your message about Scooter. FUnny, I had been reading about diabetes and weak legs just yesterday. I will speak to the vet again and try to get a pee sample to test.

    Thanks also for the note, "too early is better than too late" as well, I have a lump in my throat..... he rallied and had a good day today....

    His condition is good- such a shiny coat, we were just saying today. He is purrful and seems ok mentally, interacting- he is in an enormous box with a roof, it has a quilt in there and a pillow with a furry cloth on top. He has water, and wet and dry food and cat-friendly milk all there for him, and his litter just round the side. It is in the conservatory so he can see out the glass door at the garden, and we keep the door to this room open and pop our heads round the door to check him regularly. If awake, we go and say hello and stroke him and see if he needs anything. Today he has moved towards us when we've done this, or just lifted his head and chirruped. He purrs and has curled up with his favourite toy mouse.

    He is proudly refusing the litter and choosing instead to walk to his patch in the garden. I go with him, day or night. He is walking a little better but cannot contemplate the catflap.

    I wish I could make him well, and make him young again..... I am desperately sad and afraid to lose my friend of so many years. I kept his Mama and his siblings too. He is the last of a clan, a closing of a chapter.

    I will never put my own heart ahead of his hurt. I am afraid of making the decision too soon, but take comfort from your words and will tell myself in the days to come, "too soon is better than too late"....

    as with your cat though, his eyes don't seem to want to let go, and it will be so hard, I will feel I am betraying him....

    ))hug((

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  12. We have a wary adult cat! Mica Moo has been with us 2 years, but I hope one day she will be like a cat that was raised from kittenhood with people. She has come a long way. It takes so much patience to build her trust, then I try to be careful not to do anything to lessen what we've built.

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