An Abby breakthrough!

My Abby, is a very shy, skittish little cat. She has made HUGE strides in the year and a half that we have had her. She will allow me and only me to hold her, only when standing. She just let me hold her for a few minutes while sitting. This is HUGE!!! Sorry, I just have to shout about it!!!!

Because I have my own extremely scared cat, I know what an amazing thing this is. BRAVO!!!!!

Way to go Abby!

Karen, lets hope that she continues to make progress like this! I can only imagine how happy you are!

YAY Abby!! Your making meowmy so proud!!

Good girl, Abby!

Karen, this calls for a celebration and I also think Abby deserves a special treat this evening. Maybe some tuna fish for the little girl

It will have to be tuna juice Tanya, she prefers that to the tuna itself

Abby & Karen

Good girl, Abby! You must be so proud, Karen!

Having my very own skittish girl, I know how those "little" steps in trust just make your heart soar! Congratulation Karen!

From Ophelia to Abby: "It's OK, they really can be nice if you give them a chance..."

Good for you! I'm so happy!

Yay Abby!! We're all so proud of you!

That is so great...That is real progress..Way to go Abby


P.S. How did you approach the situation to make her feel comfortable? I'm asking because I'm trying to get Trout used to being handled. She its so antsy.

Excellent!! Way to go, Abby!!

I'm another one with a very timid, skittish cat and understand how exciting it is when you see your kitty taking those baby steps and coming out of their little shells.

Congratulations on a big moment!!

Stephanie

Congratulations, Karen and Abby!

That is fantastic progress, you must be so pleased!

Awwww Karen i didn't know that?!.

Does she come onto your knee on her own terms as well?.

Rosie wouldn't stay on my lap if i put her on, but she comes on when "she" wants to

Go Abby!

Yay for Abby!!! Its amazing how the smallest steps can make our hearts soar!!

Thank you for celebrating with us everyone!

From Abby - "Ophelia, they take out these weird things and cut my nails They are mean! "

Susan, she has recently started jumping up and walking across our laps when we are on the sofa. She will occasionally curl up against us and sleep. She did curl up on my lap once or twice for a few minutes.

Yes, Abby came to us very skittish, and with a host of illnesses. The shelter couldn't give us any background info (or didn't want to ) She was brought back to the shelter to be spayed within a few days of us adopting her. It was a horrible experience for all of us. Any trust we had gained, we lost and then some. We also had multiple vet trips, with lots of medication that had to be given multiple times a day. I honestly think she grew to hate us during this time. She was only friendly during feeding or treat time She has really come a long way since then, not only with us, but also with the environment. As an example, when we first got her, if she was in the closed window, and a car went by, she completely freaked out. She would run and hide either in the cellar, or under something. When it warmed up a little, and we started opening the windows, it really wasn't good. There was one time I had her outside on her leash in harness in the front yard, and I heard the UPS truck coming. I ended up picking her up and heading for the house, but of course the truck went by while I was doing so. I received a few scratches that day. Now, if she hears a car go by, she will run to the window to check it out.

Abby certainly has come a long way in the time you've had her! That's such wonderful progress! I think a lot of times, cats just need time to come into their own, develop trust, and settle into their humans' lives.

When I got Callie she'd been a stray and she would run & hide when she heard any loud truck or noise, like the dumpster being dumped. She'd be under the bed in a heartbeat during any storm or if someone came to the door. She's deathly afraid of ceiling fans, still. She's been with me for about 8 years now, and I'm proud to say that loud noises & trucks no longer send her into hiding. She'll stay out for visitors, but might go into a different room. We're still working on the ceiling fan issue since she's okay with them if they are on, just freaks a little when they are off.

I think in Abby's case as well as Callie's, TLC and consistency go a very long way.

May you continue to have wonderful success with Abby!!

Stephanie

Karen...it must have made your heart ache to know that Abby was distant because of her experiences that were completely out of your control.

Your patience and love is slowly winning your little girls trust.