photo provided by Marianne
Not long after arrival, he'd lost his left eye to an infection and Peaches had to be moved to another cage because the strain of being with him in his current vitriolic state was too much for her.
These days, he generally lives on top of the cages in the double wide, coming down to floor level only rarely. He seems to have made a friend or two, with a grey and white cat called Harry able to share a blanket with him without any skirmishes. A few other cats, however, seem bent on harassing him. And so he's still having a bit of a tough time of it.
For any inclined to take pity and try to spend a little time with him, Marianne says:
"He loves to have special wet food or treats served to him and will allow a few pets while he's eating these goodies, but will then growl (I suppose that's how he got his name) and swat at the hand that feeds him. Perhaps it's wishful thinking on my part, but his swats don't seem to be quite as nasty as they used to be. I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he once was a nice cat and could be again someday, but that life has been unkind to him recently and he's become kind of bitter."
True, tonight when I made the mistake of waiting until he'd finished his wet food before petting him and he responded by swatting me, it lacked the violence of the swats he doled out while in his cage. I mean, he didn't even draw blood!
Looking at his face in the pictures below, I, like Marianne, can't help but think there's a neat cat in there somewhere buried under all that bitterness over his rotten luck. And I'm willing to risk a few more swats to find out.
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Funny guy! ( strange funny not funny funny), but he really likes it if you just stand there and talk to him. His head starts to bob and weave a little as if being put in a trance.
ReplyDeleteAnn J
I became very fond of Grizz before I left in December. From the time he arrived I always tried to calmly talk to him, specially while I was in the cage next to him, with Peaches, giving her loves.
ReplyDeleteGrizz is actually a great mouser. He LOVES to play. He will chase a feathery mouse on a string like there is no one around but him. He will even come down on the floor to continue the chase, but if he gets it in his mouth he will want to take the "kill" off to a high location. It is very cute. I have some photos of our last play time together on my Flickr.
I think he just isn't a sanctuary cat, and misses the luxury of a home, and after all that's happened to him - yes I think he is a bit bitter (for the time being).
Grizz Pictures
I miss the kitties.
Cheers :)
Thanks for the interaction tips, Ann & Barb! This guy deserves a little outreach time.
ReplyDeleteI did feeding in the double wide last night. Man i feel your "pain". What brats they are! But Grizzy parked himself on a step stool and let me pet and pet and pet him! There's hope for him yet!
ReplyDeleteAnn J
Grizz lived with a human family for 12 years and then suddenly found himself in a cage surrounded by 100 strange cats and a lot of unfamiliar people. He was really anxious about the change in his life and his health suffered. If I was him, I'd feel bitter, too.
ReplyDeleteLike so many other people who surrender their cats to us when they move, Grizz's family have never come to visit him. It's really sad. Thank goodness for our volunteers who are taking the time to love him.
Grizzy's becoming a love bug! Okay, that may be exaggerating a bit, but just in the last two weeks, he's allowing, and even asking for, petting. He's especially friendly when he's at ground level, less so when he's on the table or on top of the cages. Today, he came up to me looking for attention and head-butted my hand to be petted. I was more than happy to oblige and we had a nice little visit. It's so heart-warming to think that he's finally ready to accept the love we've been waiting to give him. Yay, Grizz!
ReplyDelete