Eng Teng

Eng Teng came to RAPS together with Peng Peng.

The pair ended up at the sanctuary after spending the better part of a year in foster care while their original owner received treatment for an extended period of time.

According to Leslie it was "very stressful for the kitties to lose their home and friend, go to a stranger's home (where there were other cats and dogs, and they had to be kept in a small room), and then be moved again to the sanctuary, where they were surrounded by cats and a lot of strange people."

Unlike Peng Peng, who responded to the change with aggression and distrust, Eng Teng allowed her new human friends at RAPS to see her sweet side. Sadly, she went on to become very depressed and developed liver disease. "Fortunately," says Leslie, "We were able to save her with intensive treatment and a lot of attention. She now seems quite comfortable in her new home."

Peng Peng

Peng Peng, along with cat named Eng Teng, had lived for nine years with their owner when they had to be transferred to foster care while the lady received some extended treatment. The cats were fostered by a retired RAPS volunteer for eight months. When the original owner went into an outpatient program, she didn't stay in touch with the volunteer and so Peng Peng and Eng Teng were brought to the cat sanctuary.

When Ayako and I visited last week, Peng Peng very graciously posed for a number of photos, talking to us with little "mrah" sounds all the while. The sign in the "Gericatrics" trailer with captioned photos of all the resident cats describes her as a "feisty girl, a bit unpredictable."

This made me curious about her background, and so I asked Leslie about her and Eng Teng, who I'd also happened to get a few photos of (not knowing at time that they had more in common than their similar names). She said that the loss of their home and the two moves that followed had been very stressful for both cats. Peng Peng reacted "with aggression and distrust for a while."

While Peng Peng seems a lot more ready to trust people these days, it's not fair to expect her to be completely over the big changes to her life over the past few years. I have a feeling she'll hold on to her right to the "unpredictable" label for a while yet.