We have a new kitten in the house, and
this one will be a challenge.
We have fostered three kittens (here and here about halfway down) for the
Spaymart, kittens that have undergone some kind of trauma and had
trouble learning to socialize. And in each case we've been able to
help them calm down and get adopted into homes where they're now
loved and loving members of the family.
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| Kitten in the Closet |
The new one is about eight weeks, but
that's a guess. She was part of a litter of four found int he wild
and brought to the Spaymart. Two were adopted. This one and the third
got sick and were at a vet's office that – well, let's say care for
the animals seemed to be secondary to the vet's convenience. The
third died. And the one with us now was pretty badly traumatized.
We were told going in that, if we can't
make any headway with her, they have a feral cat colony, so no
pressure. That's not a great image to start with. And she sure showed
no sign of wanting to be part of a family. She's scared.
Tori opened the cat carrier and she
dashed behind the couch, where she spent most of her first day. We
knew she used the cat box – which was kind of a miracle since it's
in the laundry room and we never had a chance to show it to her –
but we never saw her. Shame too, she's a very pretty cat.
Unlike the other three kittens we've
fostered, this one didn't even have a name. She does now, but she had
to earn it.
The second day she ran into our
bedroom, burrowed into the closet, and spent the next two days there.
We'd peek in, pushing aside the hanging clothes, talking to her the whole time and never reaching for her. All we could see
was her eyes staring out. She didn't hiss, didn't strike out. Just
stared.
Tori has spent hours, sitting outside
the closet just talking and waving cat toys at her, the kind on the
long flexible rod with a bunch of stuff fluttering around. And the
cat started responding, tracking the beguiling objects and batting at
them.
It's just a matter of patience. Lots
and lots of that. We can't force anything. We haven't even tried to
touch her yet. Just keep talking to her, keep playing with her, keep
letting her know we're here and aren't going to hurt her. No sudden
movements.
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| Ellen the Explorer |
She mostly stayed in our closet for two
days. We never saw her leave, but she did because the cat box was
being used and the food disappearing.
She finally came out yesterday. And
that's how she earned her name. We call her Ellen, because she came
out of the closet.
She's spending most of her time behind
the furniture in the living room. Right now I see she's very
tentatively slipped around the corner, alert for any movement, ready
to run. She's been at the food and water bowls, which are kind of out
int he open, for about ten minutes. She's aware we're here, Tori at
the kitchen table, me at my work station in the living room, and
she's very cautious. Now she's exploring the living room. She's
keeping her distance, but she's out.
Time. It's just a matter of time, I
guess.
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