Puffin was brought to the No. 5 Rd. shelter as a stray, where he stayed for 2 months before landing himself with a reputation for being unpredictable by attacking a woman in the face. And so he came to the sanctuary.
He only arrived yesterday, and so we don't know yet if the whole scratch-and-bite thing was a one-off incident or, if not, just what can set him off. He's got a collar on for now to warn people he may take a chomp and we're being cautiously welcoming - lots of pats and strokes but no up close cuddles and nuzzles for the time being. Leslie says some cats who act out when they're at 5 Rd. do very well at the sanctuary where can they have more room.
He'll be living in the front yard once he's had all his shots. If you want to meet him, look for a handsome boy similar in appearance to Tugboat but with a ring of white near the tip of his tail.
Posts
Can't wait to meet this gorgeous guy (?) ! I feel another challenge coming on.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Yesterday, he enjoyed some petting and then sat happily (and without "incident")on Louise's lap for quite some time. I hope we'll be able to find out what triggers his nasty side and just avoid doing that. Then he'll be just a sweetheart!
ReplyDeleteMarianne
I just met Puffin last night and he was very sweet. I saw the sign about face biting so I was cautious when I went into his cage to scoop. I had my back to his and gave him a wide birth and then he decided that he wanted to sniff me and rub his cheeks on my FACE! Little wary considering what we know, but he was purring and seemed very content. I didn't try to pet him, when I meet cats with that rep I always let them make the first move. He's certainly not shy and is quite the ladies man.
ReplyDeleteI visited the sanctuary for the first time today and I recognized Puffin. I witnessed the incident that caused him to be taken there last year. I was visiting the #5 shelter with a few friends that day, and one of my friends picked him up. He was in her arms for several minutes and looked quite content until suddenly he attacked. We'll never know what triggered that, but I was sorry that the incident cost him his chance of being adopted. He is such a gorgeous guy. I have to say that the sanctuary is a very special place though. I wonder if a cat can ever be happy in a regular home or apartment after having lived at the sanctuary for a while. I bet Puffin never attacked anyone since then, especially since volunteers and visitors would have been careful around him.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely go visit him again.
Daniela
Thanks for sharing your Puffin experience with us, Daniela! To my knowledge, Puffin hasn't caused any problems since then. But yes, it probably doesn't hurt that people know to be careful with him since we don't know just what it was that set him off before.
DeleteRe. whether cats who've lived at the sanctuary for some time can readjust to living happily in a home, it can be hard for some of them, but there are also great success stories -- check out the post on Moosha (http://neko-raps.blogspot.ca/2009/10/moosha-aka-mooshie.html) for one example.