Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Adoption day part two - take two


As you all remember I was very happy to have found homes for all of the kitties in the last litter before they were due to go up for adoption.  It was a first for me.  Even Lovey found herself a home.

Lovey on a scent soaked bed not caring in the least
Well unfortunately that home was not her final destination.  Lovey was a young girl and she had some issues here being cooped up and being 'surrounded' by other cats. I assumed that her few instances of putting on her floof suit were protective in nature and I did my best to prevent her seeing any members of The Crew.

When Dee told me she wanted to adopt her, we decided it was best that I hold on to her for a week after her spay and separation from the kittens to see what her personality really dictated regarding other cats.  I offered her bedding my cats had slept on quite a bit and she didn't care and promptly laid down on it and claimed it as hers and slept on it nearly exclusively for a few days.

After some time had passed I left the door open a bit with the baby gate up and let her see my cats. She growled a bit, but when I told her to stop she did and turned around and asked for food. I took that as a very good sign that she would eventually adapt to having other kitties.

As the week went by Lovey developed a case of cabin fever. She didn't much like it when I left her alone in that room. She was by no means problematic, but she would cry for me for a few minutes after I left. Because of this I probably pushed her adoption to happen sooner rather than later, but I honestly do not think that waiting another week would have made much of a difference.

See when Lovey went to her new home, Dee did everything 'right'.  She set up Lovey in one room and spent a lot of time with her, snuggling and playing with her. She did scent swapping - bringing in items her boys slept on etc.  She left Lovey in that room for several days while she adapted to the new home and the idea of new roommates.

The first introduction went badly. Lovey was NOT happy to share her new home and her new mom with two boycats. Cats were separated and it was hopped that more time and more acclimation to the boys would help. It did not. Lovey was not happy stuck in one room and started bolting through the door, and then would go into attack mode around the boys.

Fortunately no one was hurt, but no one was happy. Could Dee have held out and forced this to work, possibly, but it would have taken a long long time and everyone would have been miserable while doing it and a stressed out cat is a cat that is prone to illness... and with Lovey's ability to bolt out of her safe room and force the situation - well it could have gotten bad.

So it was decided that Lovey would be returned. It was not a decision made lightly or without a river of tears. Dee very much wanted this to work, but she wanted Lovey to have a home where she wouldn't be so stressed out. Dee sacrificed the kitty she always wanted so that she could have a home she needed, as an only cat, and be happy.

Lovey went back to the shelter this past Sunday.  I met Dee there and we went through the paperwork and the questionnaire about Lovey's personality, and Dee brought Lovey's things, bowls, food, bedding, carrier, and a beautiful scratching post all to go home with her when she was adopted. Dee was also offered a credit for a future adoption, which she promptly reassigned to whomever decided to adopt Lovey.

It was a tearful goodbye for all of us. Lovey went into her cage at the shelter very easily, and the shelter staff decided she was in good enough shape (not overly stressed from the car ride back) that she went up on the adoption floor. I spent a little time with her, but she was a little growly from all of the other cats there, and I thought it best to let her sit in her cage for a while and just get used to things. I had planned to stop by Monday to visit with her again.

Well before Dee had made it home she received a phone call from the shelter letting her know that Lovey had been adopted. I will say I am impressed they did that because one of the stipulations of surrendering a cat is that you do not know what ends up happening to it..  At this point I know nothing about the adoption (because they didn't contact me) but I know it was all over her adoption card that she needed to be an only cat, so I'm sure she is lounging with her new people soaking in all the love she desires and being the total Diva she apparently was meant to be.

Thank you Dee for wanting her, and I am so sorry it did not work out. While I am not a fan of rehoming a cat, I fully accept there are some legitimate reasons for doing so, especially when it is in the cat's best interest which in this case it was.

9 comments:

  1. Dee did the right thing for Lovey - sometimes a living situation is all wrong for a kitty, and no matter how badly you want it to work, you can't. My human says that's why she and her boyfriend didn't keep the calico they rescued and fostered for a few weeks many years ago. Nobody was mean or angry, but they could tell that Binga, Boodie and Sparkle were all very unhappy with the way she took over... so she went to a home with just one other, sweetly non-dominant cat. Not that there weren't tears when she was left behind at her new home!

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  2. Having gone through the heartbreak of this a little over two years ago with Beau, the head peep had to wipe away tears for Dee reading this. Beau was adopted again along with this brother and is living his life in a home without making terrified and miserable. It's really hard when you love a kitty, they love you, but they aren't a good fit with your family. Knowing that Lovey has a different happy ending doesn't make it better instantly, but hopefully it will make it a little less heartbreaking as time goes by.

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  3. This is so heartbreaking for Dee, but also shows how caring she is. I'm so glad Lovey has a happy ending, but my heart goes out to Dee.

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  4. we are glad Lovey got re-adopted so fast. No fault to Dee - she made a miserably hard decision that was best for her boys and for Lovey....

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  5. Happened to us too; Loretta was a love bug with the humans, but she could not get along with Chuck and Angel. We tried for months to integrate them. Broke my heart to drive her back to the rescue group, but she found a home where she could reign as the only cat. Many, many tears were shed, and unfortunately, The Hubby won't let me try again due to Chuck's heart diagnosis. Hope Dee knows that WE UNDERSTAND, and in the end, a good home for Lovey was the goal...and it was achieved.

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  6. These things do happen and Dee did the right thing! I am so glad Lovey was adopted again and hope she will be happy and settled in her new home.

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  7. Sometimes Fate takes a winding path. We hope Lovey is indeed now in her forever home as an only kitty, being pampered as she deserves. Purrs.

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  8. My heart goes out to Dee. She did the right thing. I hope Lovey is in the right home now and that she's very happy.

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  9. We're sorry it didn't work out for Lovey and Dee...we know it wasn't easy for Dee to do what she did. We hope Lovey is happy in her new home.

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