It's official...we're foster failures;) Hugo is ours:)

Well, we've been fostering Hugo for about a month and a half now.  He's kind of a tough case that they weren't sure would ever be adoptable because he's so timid, is terrified of being picked up, and hides whenever anyone new walks into a room.  It's hard to compete against all of the tiny kittens who are total cuddle bugs right now during kitten season!  Hugo was trapped in a very bad neighborhood that shows no care for animals at all, and there is, unfortunately, abuse that happens there too  So we don't know Hugo's history, but it's safe to say that he had it rough! 

He was initially in a different foster home, but the lady who had him felt that it wasn't fair to him that she couldn't dedicate as much time to him as needed.  I only work part time, so I had plenty of time to offer him  It's taken some time, but he's finally gotten comfortable in our house, he loves our 1 year old cat, Archer (who also loves him
Look at that adorable stubby tail  (BTW he was born that way...you can actually feel the bones folded down in his tail...odd feeling but it's cute and actually seems to fit his personality somehow, plus doesn't seem to bother him one bit
It's always good to have a bath from big brother after a good play session



Grooming, loving and playing are a tiring business!  But big brother makes a fantastic pillow!


Little pillows are good too


And sometimes you just have to snuggle as close as absolutely possible!

I can see why you decided to keep him- they are adorable together! Hugo looks like a sweet little guy and Archer looks super pleased to have a little buddy to snuggle and groom. I'm so happy for all of you Success stories like your always make me cry, lol! Congratulations

Thanks  We feel very lucky to have both of them in our lives!  They just make the days seem brighter, and just make us feel like happier people all around

It's easy to see why you're "foster failures"! It looks like Hugo has wormed his way into everybody's heart, including Archer's.

That he has!  And we couldn't be happier!

I adore his little stubby tail! They're both absolutely beautiful!

Aww thanks  You should see Hugo when he wags his little tail...it's gotta be one of the cutest things ever!  And when he's really excited his tail will vibrate and he'll knead with all four paws so that he looks like he's dancing   I tell them that they're both gorgeous little boys every day, but then I may be a bit biased, so now from your lovely comment I can tell them that I'm not just saying that

My little Julie has a stubby tail like that. Hers is also a birth defect. It almost looks like a fist at the end of her tail.

Yes that's how Hugo's tail end looks too  Which one of your girls is Julie?  Do you have a picture of her with her tail showing?  And does it look like she's wagging it when she's really happy?  Hugo's seems to look like it's wagging, and I find it to be adorable! 

Also, he still does what would be the little question mark tip but on him it's just the fist looking end bent to the side  It took a little while to learn to read his tail and recognize the common tail positions, and that they're all there but just in an abbreviated fashion

Here is a close-up of Julie's tail.


and this is Julie.


When she is happy, it looks like a bobcat's tail - wagging like mad. 

Oh, cute!  Her tail looks almost like a little lion's tail with that black tip.  I think it's so cute that they wag their tails when they happy  I love it when Archer does it too, of course , but there's something extra cute with the short tails!

And I just love that photo of Julie because she looks so grumpy but still so adorable

They are so cute together

They definitely are   And no matter how many times they cuddle up together or start wrestling each other, I just can't help myself from stopping whatever I'm doing to watch them for awhile!  My own kitty TV

The shy ones always have it so hard finding homes. That's why my two ended up with me. Tiny's ex-feral and Christy's really timid. I think any cat lover could have befriended them, but I was the one they got to first, and it would just be traumatic (literally, perhaps) for them to be re-homed again. Honestly, I was kind of glad when Christy had been with me two years and still no bites on a possible home for her; she stopped eating when she came to stay with me and I had the dickens of a time getting her to start again. Moving her would have been a scary experience, no matter how loving her new owner was. So... she's with me for good.

Here's a photo of Christy, my own "foster failure".

Oh, she's darling!  I love the calicos with the patchwork type patches, and those beautiful mossy green eyes  I'll bet she's very happy to be a "foster failure" and in a loving home with people that she loves and trusts  And Tiny is so cute!  I love how he's not actually tiny at all!

Hugo's the same way in that I think he could've eventually been befriended by any cat lover that was willing to take the time with him and go at his pace, but I'm happy that we decided to keep him.  He and Archer are such good friends that I really was afraid that one or both of them would grieve for the loss of the other.  And he'd already been through so much in his short life, we just couldn't do that to him   Luckily he was never so shy that he refused to eat or drink (though at first he would only do these things if he was left alone), and it was obvious that he really did want to interact and have human attention.  He was just so scared and not sure if it would be okay for him to trust someone.

Just this past week he's gotten very affectionate with me, even voluntary climbing onto my lap and napping there.  The first time he did that was such a great day!!!  I felt so honored that he trusted me that much 

Congratulations on your foster failure!  Hugo and Archer look so happy together,  I can see why you felt they are meant to stay together,  and I'm sure his friendship with Archer is helping Hugo to learn to trust the human family members.   

   It is wonderful he is now climbing on your lap, and is becoming less shy with your hubby.   It sounds like at this point he still follows his instinct to hide but then remembers "wait , this is that guy who is nice"

 Both your cats are indeed gorgeous boys!   Archer's coat has a wonderful broken mackerel tabby pattern, and it just glistens!  In fact that sort of ticking in the agouti ( lighter) area makes it look like it is almost sparkling in the light.      and Hugo has a very elegant look --  beautifully sculpted -- but then to make it less formal he has that cute stubby tail!  

Aww, thanks  I tell them that they're gorgeous & they both just look at me like "yeah we could've told you that!"  Hehe!  Archer seems to be very proud of his coat because he takes extremely good care of his fur.  It's very soft and smooth feeling.  I guess he also thinks that he can do a better job on Hugo's fur than he does himself since he's always trying to give him a bath!  Hugo does help Archer with his face and ears, but otherwise I think he just enjoys the extra grooming from Archer.  I guess it's a very mutual arrangement. 

Hugo is very sleek looking, and his fur feels nice and silky.  I love watching him trot away when he steals the favorite mousey toy from Archer because for some reason it looks like he has an exaggerated wiggle.  Though it could just look that way since he's so sleek, whereas Archer just has a normal kitty body.

Yes, they're such good buddies  I just love watching them play and snuggle.  And I was SOOO HAPPY when Hugo first climbed on my lap!  I even stayed up an extra hour just so I could let him continue to sleep...I just didn't want it to end  Of course, now what I want is one of those kitty piles in my lap that I keep hearing all about!

I think you're right about Archer helping Hugo to see that we're safe and his family.  I'm hoping it'll help somewhat with my process of getting Hugo to allow himself to be picked up.  I pick Archer up everyday, multiple times a day.  He's never minded it as long as I let him down when he asks to go.  I'm hoping that Hugo sees that I respect Archer's boundaries especially when it comes to being picked up and that I'll respect his as well.  I know that I'll never be able to pick him up and cuddle him or carry him around like I can with Archer, but I just want to be able to pick him up without him becoming terrified so that I can if there's some type of situation where it's necessary.  I'll keep working on it. 

We're pretty sure that the reason he's still intimidated by my hubby is because he's a big guy.  He probably looks like a giant to him!  So he's been making more of an effort to try to make himself look small and get on the floor when he wants to interact with Hugo.  It really does seem to be helping.  He also plays with him for a bit every night and that seems to be helping too