|
 |
|
| Name: |
Mama Kitty
|
Age: |
Five years old
|
| Gender: |
Female
|
Kind: |
Tortoisehell cat
|
| Home: |
Chicago, Illinois, USA
|
Three
years ago our upstairs neighbor's toddler reported finding "dragon
babies" in the yard. Closer inspection revealed that a stray cat had given
birth behind the raised vegetable beds and was living there with them. We
called around to all the local no-kill shelters, but none had any room. We
lured them into a cage with food and took them all to the vet. They had
fleas, ear mites and three kinds of worms, but were otherwise healthy. We
found homes for the kittens easily, but weren't sure what to do with the
Mama Kitty. She was feral, and hid from us completely, the only evidence
that she existed was that the food in her dish disappeared. We considered
letting her back outside once she healed from her stitches (we had her
spayed) but couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We consulted with a cat
behaviorist at the Tree House Foundation who gave us some tips on how to
draw her out of her shell.
She demands my attention, and calls me over to the loveseat which is her
favorite place to be petted, she chases her own tail sometimes, and she's
really, really affectionate. The only thing is you can't pick her up, but
she loves belly rubs and ear rubs and head scratches. She looks out the
window but never tries to escape through the open front or back doors,
because she knows better!
We had two cats in our house already, and one of them - Oblio, had been
recently adopted from Harmony House for Cats. He instantly fell in love
with Mama Kitty. Oblio was half grown at the time, and Mama Kitty had just
been separated from her kittens. They soon became inseparable. Oblio was
instrumental in getting Mama Kitty to adjust to life indoors, he even
taught her how to play. Now she's the sweetest, best pet ever, and we look
forward to many years with her.
|
|
|
|
|
