Bentley

MD

This gorgeous boy came into our care a couple of months ago – surrendered for litterbox issues and some aggression. As is usual, he was caged for his introductory period, and it became obvious that this was an introduction that was not going to go smoothly.  From inside his cage, Bentley waited to ambush any passing cats. A drape hung over the door to lessen the visual stimuli had little effect other than being a target for cat-pee (from both sides).

KN

We had been warned about Bentley’s aggression, and all volunteers were cautious around him. Though he appeared to enjoy company, he was occasionally reactive to petting, and it may be that, like Chimo, he was never taught to play nicely. When the time came to release him, we tried to restrict his movements initially to the DoubleWide, but Bentley was having none of that, and was anxious to start exploring.

TV

As you can see from his picture, Bentley has much in common with front-courtyard Puffin – an impressive appearance and a great deal of cattitude.  Visitors sometimes ask why we separate cats into different areas, and keeping potential trouble-makers away from each other is a good part of that.
If cats had opposable thumbs, many of them would be tweeting #MeToo.

Poised to leap on an unsuspecting victim - TV

Bentley is a harasser. He has no hesitation about taking on the alpha cats; our majestic Eli avoids him like the plague. But he also just likes to make a nuisance of himself – I’ve found him sitting by the cat door, swatting the backsides of all the cats who go through.  I don’t think it’s always specifically aggressive – he’s the sort of guy who probably thinks it’s funny.

Bentley being silly - PH

Within a week he was sporting a scratch on his nose – he obviously encountered a cat who wasn’t afraid to swat back. But it doesn’t appear to have dampened his enthusiasm for throwing his weight around. A number of the quieter cats are learning to keep an open eye for Bentley’s whereabouts, and he’s certainly not made many feline friends so far. But as he becomes more accustomed to life at the Sanctuary, we hope that he will relax, and find that acceptance is better than aggression!

MD

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Melanie Draper, Phaedra Hardman, Karen Nicholson, Tanisha Vincent