Sorry I’ve been away for a while. It’s a long story. I’d like to come back and tell Happiness’ happy story.
Happiness came to us as a scrawny, desperately sick new mother with four equally sick nursing kittens of about 3-4 weeks. They all had respiratory infections, and the kittens kept having to stop nursing in order to gasp for air. Happiness kept trying to groom them and clean up their noses and eyes, but also had to take frequent breaks in order to breathe.
They had been found outside under some bushes in someone’s yard, but Happiness was obviously a domestic cat. She was scared to death and very sick, but she recognized that getting her head rubbed was a sign of affection rather than aggression, and her ears pricked up when she heard the can opener come out of the drawer. She had obviously been someone’s house pet at some time, and she didn’t seem that old – maybe one of last year’s kittens who got a home but was never spayed.
Skinny and scared as she was, she still tried to put on a show of hissing and growling to protect her babies, even though she had to keep stopping to breathe between attempts.
We put her in the powder room beside the kitchen with her carrier across the doorway so she could see, hear and smell all the other two and four legged inhabitants of the house but still feel she had a safe place to keep her kittens. We thought if we put her in our traditional nursery in the guest room closet, where we put the mothers with newborns, she would hide her kittens away and keep them from being socialized. We also wanted to be able to keep a good eye on their progress, give them their medications regularly and make sure they were ok.
Everyone in the house came by to check out the new arrivals. Happiness took a deep breath and gave a timid, gasping hiss to each one. Our regulars all knew the drill – yeah, yeah, we know – don’t come near your kittens. Don’t get your tail in a knot.
Recoletta, who had started us off as fosters by producing a litter of 8 on the living room couch a couple of years back, came by and looked over the new batch. When Happiness hissed at her, she said, “Yeah, yeah, don’t touch your kittens. Big deal. Who wants your stupid kittens anyway? It’s not like you had 8 of ‘em or something.” Then she turned her nose up and stalked off. Recoletta is sooooo over kittens.
Snowflake came by to take a peek, and responded to the hissing by turning tail and running back to her bed. She’s been well trained by generations of mother cats: touch my kittens and I’ll smack you on the nose; give my kittens your food, or I’ll smack you on the nose; give my kittens your bed, or I’ll smack you on the nose; give my kittens your toys, or I’ll smack you on the nose; as a matter of fact, I might smack you on the nose just for something to do! After a few yelps when she tried to defend her own territory and property, she learned it was easier to give in and give the kittens anything they wanted. If Happiness only knew it, there was no dog on the planet who posed less of a threat to her kittens than Snowflake.
When cats and kittens come into Abby Cats’ care, they always have their pictures taken for the website. Happiness’s picture couldn’t have looked less happy. The kittens were cute as buttons, but it was obvious that their eyes and noses were runny and congested, and that they were very sick.
We started using paper towels soaked in hot water to bathe the kittens every hour or so, to help take the load off of Happiness and keep their noses and eyes clear. After a bit of squirming and yowling the first time, interrupted by their need to breathe, they came to enjoy being held and having their fur rubbed the wrong way with a warm, wet paper towel. They even stopped objecting to having their eyes, noses and butts cleaned, with separate paper towels, of course.
At first, Happiness was very anxious when we took her babies away one by one, but when they were returned to her clean, happy and sleepy and exchanged for one of their siblings, she quickly relaxed. She even let us groom her with paper towels, thus saving her breath and effort. It took about 10 days on antibiotics, but they all eventually regained their health and began to take an interest in activities outside the powder room.
The kittens became curious and playful, just like any other 5-6 week old kittens. Happiness was still timid and scared, but began coming out little by little and mingling with the rest of the household.
With new, happy and healthy pictures on the website, all of the kittens were already spoken for by the time they reached 8 weeks. They went in one weekend, in two pairs. Happiness had already weaned them. She waved goodbye as the last two went to their forever homes, and promptly began to play with the toys they had left behind.
It’s much easier to find adoptive homes for kittens, especially young ones, than it is for their mothers, many of whom are only 6 months or a year older than their babies. In the year and a half since she came to us, Happiness’ health and confidence has grown by leaps and bounds. She’s not only stopped cringing and hissing whenever one of the other animals comes near her, but actively touches noses with them in greeting. She’s filled out, and her coat has gone from scraggly and rough to silky smooth, showing off her beautiful calico colouring. She’s affectionate and cuddly with both people and animals.
When Martina arrived and had her babies, Happiness was secure enough in her position in the house that she took it in her stride. When Martina’s kittens emerged from the nursery, formed the Society Of Furry Terrorists and began deconstructing our house, Happiness became a bit alarmed. When they chased her, she ran. Then she became confused when they caught her and then turned around and ran away. Finally, she got it: Ohhhh! I see! You chase me, catch me and bite me in the bum. Then I chase you back, catch you and bite you back! Ohhhh!” Having caught on, she became an enthusiastic participant in their games, most of which took place at 2am.
Eventually, Martina and most of her kittens moved to other foster homes (more on this later) and that left only Recoletta, Prince, Ricky, Happiness and Martina’s two girl kittens, Anna and Elena. Things calmed down considerably, although Happiness and the girls still played Thunderdome in the middle of the night.
Unexpectedly, we got a call from Abbey Cats. One of their former adoptive homes had lost an older cat to cancer and wanted a companion for their young cat. They had gotten this young cat, Surabi, with a companion, Winnie, but Winnie was twice Surabi’s size and played aggressively, chasing Surabi and pouncing on her, flattening her to the floor. Surabi was a very timid cat and was scared to come out from under the furniture, even to eat. Marion, my Abbey Cats adoption contact, wanted to know whether I thought Happiness would do well with a timid younger cat.
Since Happiness had once been a timid younger cat and was never aggressive with the kittens, I though she would do very well, especially since she would be going to a wonderful home. Her new human came to meet her, fell in love and took her home.
It’s so hard for our young mother cats to get a good home that we were really thrilled for her, until a week later when we got an email from her new Mum saying that Happiness was chasing Surabi and Surabi was scared again, even though Happiness never pounced on her or started chasing unless Surabi started to run. It’s hard to explain to a timid cat that all she has to do is stand her ground. She expected to get pounced on and flattened, so she ran.
We didn’t want Happiness to blow her big chance, so we sent back an explanation that Happiness was only trying to teach Surabi to play, and that discouraging her with a water spray bottle and a sharp “no!” whenever she started to chase would teach her not to do it anymore. That, and putting her in her own room with her own food, water and litterbox when her Mum had to go to work, would keep Surabi from feeling persecuted.
It took several weeks, but we just got an email saying that both Surabi and Happiness can be in the same room now without any running or chasing, and that if Happiness looks as if she’s going to chase, a sharp verbal reminder puts an end to it. They’re not interacting much, but that will come later. Right now they’re just learning to tolerate each other.
Her new Mum says she’s a purring machine and has continued the habit she started here of leaning so far into the hand that’s rubbing her that she sometimes falls off the couch and has to be caught.
We think it’s ironic that the cat who came to us so timid that she thought everything was a potential threat is now the one trying to teach another timid cat to loosen up and enjoy playing. The news that she’s finally figured out that she has to wait for Surabi to catch up to her is very welcome and bodes well for her success in her new home.
Posts
