Click on each cat's name in large type above their picture to read the original post about them.
Aurora
Wonder of wonders, Aurora is out of her cage! True, she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but still...
Major renovation work recently started on the building where she'd been living up until recently. With the whole inside being gutted and rebuilt, including the cages, cats who'd been housed there before naturally had to be moved somewhere else. As her preference for cage dwelling is well known, Aurora was given portable cage in another building. She stayed there for a time, the one day there she was snoozing in a bed on the table next to the cage. Now she seems quite pleased with her new little corner of the world and is even making a few new friends.
Baby
Baby has also left her cage recently, though in her case no convincing was needed to embrace broader horizons. Now she's in the front yard and looking quite pleased with herself.
I'd wondered if her obsession with swatting at other cats who came near the door of her cage would continue or even escalate once she was free to roam around and swat at will, but this doesn't appear the case. If anything, it seems like she just likes reaching through barriers - evidenced by her cheerfully pawing at me through the fence as I was coming through the gate the other day. Once I was on the same side of the fence as she, it was all purrs and cuddles.
Grizzy
Somewhere along the line, Grizzy concluded that the world hated him and so he wasn't going to let anyone near without a defensive hiss and swat. The fact that cats like Groucho unaccountably decided to start beating up on him certainly didn't help.
How to convince a cat who thinks he's friendless that he's wrong? We kept trying, but were consistently rebuffed. Then slowly it seemed like he perhaps wasn't swatting quite as hard. More time passed, and he'd allow himself to be touched - if food was part of the bargain. Finally, he started to show signs of wanting a few pets, food or no.
We're so glad he's beginning to understand that he has a few people on his side after all.
Posts
Wow! Was Grizzy ever in a good mood today! He actually came over to where I was scooping and plopped 2 paws on my lap! Waiting for the slap and scratch....... nothing!
ReplyDeleteAnn J
Awwww! Isn't this just exactly what volunteering at RAPS is all about? It's taken nearly a year to show Grizzy that he can trust people again. All that loving is beginning to pay off and it will only get better and better for him from now on. Am I ever glad we didn't give up on this old guy!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree Marianne!! If it wasn't for Claire's blog, I would think twice about making friends with a cat like Grizzy. We had a bad introduction when he first came and i thought he would never forgive me for "shoving" him back into the cage when a volunteer accidentally let him out. But then you read Claire's take and think " Yup, time to give this cat another look"
ReplyDeleteAnn J
Aw, thanks Ann - that's great to hear!
ReplyDeleteWe all get to see such different sides of the cats, so I love being able to compare notes with people and pass along what I find out.
That Grizzy is becoming (almost) a love bug! He actually comes looking for attention and ear rubs now! He totally forgot himself the other day and, when I was petting him, he flipped over and allowed a bit of a chest and tummy rub. Then he remembered that he still has a reputation as a grouchy guy to maintain and gave me a bit of a swat. It was almost as if he was a little embarassed that he'd allowed his softer side to show and had to re-assert his independence. He's come a long, long way though.
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