- Joined
- Mar 4, 2014
- Messages
- 3
- Purraise
- 1
Hi All,
I have 3 very well adjusted cats. They all get along with each other and are well behaved, affectionate, and enjoyable as pets. I have been working with rescue cats for many years. I've often taken stray cats in and found homes for them. A little over a month ago, I was driving with a friend. We are located in Philadelphia, and we have had a terrible winter. Coming home one day, I saw a black cat in a snow pile. It was about 12 degrees that night, so we got out of the car to see if we could try and get her into a warm spot. She was very shy of us but eventually my friend was able to pick her up. I held her on my lap the entire car ride home. She did not move. I think she was a combination of freezing and maybe in a bit of shock.
I decided because of the other animals (as to not overwhelm her) to keep her in the bedroom. I kept her food bowls in there as well as her litter box. For the first 2-3 days she hid completely under the bed and I did not see her. When she came out, I was shocked to see the condition of her coat. She was missing a significant amount of fur (mainly at the tail and back legs) and in the middle of her back she had this terrible lesion that looked bloody and painful. Not sure how she got this, but I went to the pet store and put a drop of holistic skin care formula in her very high quality food.
Amazingly, the lesion has totally healed. Hair has even slightly grown back. I can tell her coat is getting better and she grooms herself heavily. I am writing this because as I stated before I have worked with MANY cats that have been found on the streets, and this case is by far the worst I have seen. She is TOTALLY hand and feet shy. She has attacked my foot and run off (clearly not aggressive just pure fear) I have tried to pet her a couple of times (while sitting on her level) and she does a quick swat or bite.
She has come SUCH a long way. Now she will jump up on the bed and sleep with me. When I'm on the floor, she'll pur and sit close to me, but still does not accept a pet. I talk to her in a soft voice and just try to make her feel comfortable. She also does this thing when you go to stand where she bends her back legs and walks very low to ground as if extremely frightened. I feel that this cat was severely abused. She does not even know how to accept pets.
Instead of feeling sorry for her, I would like her to get adjusted. I have not taken her to see a vet yet because I think that would traumatize her even more. I plan on getting her examined when she is more used to being handled. I am fully prepared for her not to get along with the other cats, so I am treating this situation as a cat where I'll have to place and I want her to be the best she can be. Until that day comes, she will have a comfortable life with me. I am seeking to be pro active as long as I have her. She makes these small improvements and it really warms my heart. It's like shes curious and purs and wants to be pet, but is terrified.
Does anyone have experience with this? What is the best way to go about this.
I have 3 very well adjusted cats. They all get along with each other and are well behaved, affectionate, and enjoyable as pets. I have been working with rescue cats for many years. I've often taken stray cats in and found homes for them. A little over a month ago, I was driving with a friend. We are located in Philadelphia, and we have had a terrible winter. Coming home one day, I saw a black cat in a snow pile. It was about 12 degrees that night, so we got out of the car to see if we could try and get her into a warm spot. She was very shy of us but eventually my friend was able to pick her up. I held her on my lap the entire car ride home. She did not move. I think she was a combination of freezing and maybe in a bit of shock.
I decided because of the other animals (as to not overwhelm her) to keep her in the bedroom. I kept her food bowls in there as well as her litter box. For the first 2-3 days she hid completely under the bed and I did not see her. When she came out, I was shocked to see the condition of her coat. She was missing a significant amount of fur (mainly at the tail and back legs) and in the middle of her back she had this terrible lesion that looked bloody and painful. Not sure how she got this, but I went to the pet store and put a drop of holistic skin care formula in her very high quality food.
Amazingly, the lesion has totally healed. Hair has even slightly grown back. I can tell her coat is getting better and she grooms herself heavily. I am writing this because as I stated before I have worked with MANY cats that have been found on the streets, and this case is by far the worst I have seen. She is TOTALLY hand and feet shy. She has attacked my foot and run off (clearly not aggressive just pure fear) I have tried to pet her a couple of times (while sitting on her level) and she does a quick swat or bite.
She has come SUCH a long way. Now she will jump up on the bed and sleep with me. When I'm on the floor, she'll pur and sit close to me, but still does not accept a pet. I talk to her in a soft voice and just try to make her feel comfortable. She also does this thing when you go to stand where she bends her back legs and walks very low to ground as if extremely frightened. I feel that this cat was severely abused. She does not even know how to accept pets.
Instead of feeling sorry for her, I would like her to get adjusted. I have not taken her to see a vet yet because I think that would traumatize her even more. I plan on getting her examined when she is more used to being handled. I am fully prepared for her not to get along with the other cats, so I am treating this situation as a cat where I'll have to place and I want her to be the best she can be. Until that day comes, she will have a comfortable life with me. I am seeking to be pro active as long as I have her. She makes these small improvements and it really warms my heart. It's like shes curious and purs and wants to be pet, but is terrified.
Does anyone have experience with this? What is the best way to go about this.