Morresy

This sorry looking creature arrived at the sanctuary just last Thursday. He was trapped on McLennan Avenue in Richmond, a wandering unneutered male with an impossibly matted coat and earmites so bad that he would have scratched his ears off if only it would put a stop to the discomfort.

Given the name Morresy, he's been to the vet, had his ears treated and his coat shaved. His cage in the doublewide is has blankets hung around his bed to give him a little refuge.

And a refuge he needs. Unlike many of the frightened strays I've met so far, I haven't seen Morresy lash out or spit; instead he just hunches down and quivers. He's thought to like being scratched under the chin... but that only works if you can quietly sit with him long enough for the quivering and flinching at every touch to subside. Wait a little longer, still being quiet and gentle as ever, and he slowly starts to relax enough to remember how hungry he is. It begins with a few lip smacks, a couple of licks, and then suddenly he's inhaling the plate of canned food being held in front of him.

Even with all the patience needed and the likely prospect of slow progress, there's something so rewarding about working with a cat who needs convincing before they realize that their world doesn't have to be a place of fear and uncertainty.