Leo the acrobat
Snow and Leo!
Snow and Leo came to us because their owner couldn’t take them with her when she moved. They went to a new home, but seemed to be frightened and couldn’t seem to settle in. They are a super sweet sister and brother. Leo is shy and cautious, but a snuggle bug at heart. Snow is a delightful, cuddly girl.
They’ve been with us since February 26.
Snow and Leo aren’t listed for adoption yet, because Leo is still feeling distressed by all the moving around, but they will be soon, once he gets his confidence back. If you think you might be interested in adopting them, put in an application now to 9 Lives Rescue, or just contact me. I welcome visits here, and encourage multiple visits before adopting, to ensure the best transition for them. They will be so happy to realize they have a forever home!
Happily Ever After for Flora and Fauna
I do love hearing back from all the adopters of my past kitties, but this one is extra-special. Flora and Fauna were found abandoned in an empty house without food or water, and are now living their best life with Amanda and Reed, who adopted them January 2 this year. They have moved to a life of love and attention and toys, and are responding beautifully.
You can read their story here, but the condensed version is that it took months for them to feel comfortable after the treatment they received at the hands of humans. Fauna was more confident, and eventually was comfortable playing and asking for pets. Flora kept growing in confidence, and was on the verge of letting me pet her when she was adopted.
I knew it would be a big setback for them to go to a new home, but was confident that Amanda and Reed would be great for them. Here’s Amanda’s report:
“I wanted to give you a quick update on how Flora and Fauna are doing. They’ve been out of their acclimation room for a bit now and their personalities are really shining through.
“Fauna already sees herself as owning the entire house and loves to explore every nook and cranny she can find. She particularly loved the discovery of the stairs and will chase mouse toys up/down the stairs all day if you’re willing to keep throwing them. I think a racetrack will be worn in our carpet soon! Lol.
“Flora only leaves their acclimation room at night but she is willing to be out in the room with us during the day. She is super playful!! We’ve been having some great play sessions. I haven’t been able to pet her yet (Fauna is still an absolute cuddle bug) but I have gotten many slow blinks and she has shown me her belly many times, so I think we’re on the right track!”
Thank you Amanda and Reed for adopting these two shy sisters who deserved a soft landing! It’s a little more of a challenge when you adopt shy ones, but the rewards are unbelievable when you watch “their personalities shining through”!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the shy kitties can be the most rewarding! It can be nice to have a cat who loves everybody, but it can be so wonderful who loves you best because you’ve earned their trust.
Lovie and Jester Gallery!
We’ve had Jester (male, black and white) and Lovie (female) for almost three months now, and they’ve been quite fun. They came from the same farm as Nalia and her kittens, Lady Felix, and Foxfire and her kittens, all now adopted. We got Lovie and Jester later (November) and they were more shy of people, but in three months they have come a long way.
Lovie is really a lovie, and was first to warm up to people. She can still be skittish, but she likes pets and snuggling – and loves Churu treats. She is very playful and has so much fun with toys.
Jester has always been more shy, but he continues to make progress every day. At first he hid a lot, but was gradually tempted out. He has learned to enjoy treats, but he really loves toys. Jester takes his playtime much more seriously than Lovie. Where she flips toys around and rolls around on them, Jester is more likely to smack the toy down and chomp on it.
They are still likely under a year old, and I think it’s also likely they are siblings. The vet thought they were a couple of months apart in age, but it’s hard to know for sure. They certainly look different! But Nalia and Lady Felix were the same (one long-haired and tabby; the other black and white and short-haired), and they were definitely sisters. Lovie and Jester act like siblings.
Lovie and Jester are available for adoption through 9 Lives Rescue. Go to the Adopt page if you might be interested in them, and submit an application. Mention them by name in your app. You can also contact me from my contact page and arrange to come and meet them. Lovie is still very shy with strangers, but she is ready to bond with her own forever person. Jester is not a lap cat – yet. He needs a sympathetic and patient person who enjoys developing that trusting relationship. He will be a snuggly one when he gets there. They have a strong bond and should go to a new home together.
Jester’s Stick
It seems like Jester may be teething – but I don’t think it’s possible; he’s too old! He is certainly older than 9 months, when a kitten should have all his adult teeth. But he is sure into chewing! He chomps on toys and finds various things to chew on. So I brought him a couple of sticks and he loved them!
Lovie didn’t really get it.
Flora and Fauna adopted!
We are thrilled that the sisters Flora and Fauna have found the perfect, loving home! From a rough start they got more and more trusting and comfortable with us. Amanda and Reed are ideal to carry on the very rewarding process of gaining trust in people. I just know they will be happy in their new forever home!
Flora on her favorite chair here, and in her new cat cave in her new home. Fauna relaxing here. I’ll miss you guys!
Thank you to Amanda and Reed for being willing to come a few times to spend time with these two before taking them home. I’m sure it will make their transition to a new home easier. It takes special people to care about kitties who have been abused, and help them trust again. May they bring you much joy!
Kitten
During an Art Walk in my neighborhood, one of my neighbors was creating poetry. Give her a word, and in 15 minutes she would create a poem on your theme. She explained that impromptu composition like that is a very good exercise. I think it’s like an artist who will do a quick sketch of you at a fair. The word was “kitten” and the result was delightful! I’m publishing it here with her permission.
Flora and Fauna Gallery November
Flora and Fauna are now available for adoption! While still shy, they are ready to start bonding with their forever person. Fauna is a beautiful torbie, and Fauna is the very photogenic pale orange tabby. For more descriptions and info, see this post.
Jester joins the play!
This is one of the special times in fostering kitties that are so rewarding. We’ve had Jester and Lovie about a month, and in that time, Lovie has gradually become more trusting. She loves to play, and looks forward to mornings and evenings when George or I will bring out a toy that she can play with without getting too close to the scary humans – something on a wand and string, or sometimes even a peacock feather gives her enough distance to feel safe. Lovie has gotten more and more confident during her playtimes, and has progressed to where she trusts us enough to not always watch out of the corner of her eye to make sure we’re not sneaking up on her. She really lets loose, and it’s joyous!
Play has been the most wonderful ice-breaker for most of our feral and semi-feral kitties. They love it, and want it so much that it starts blurring the boundaries they have created. At first they often won’t play at all, and will stare at me, refusing to even look at the toy. But they can’t resist forever the lure of the stalk and pounce.
For a month Jester has been watching the toys fly around, watching Lovie enjoy it more and more, watching the toy come close enough to touch, but always remaining perfectly still, only moving his eyes. But only recently – twice – has he reached out and touched it himself.
Tonight we enjoyed a delightful breakthrough. Jester played.
It wasn’t quick – I spent probably 20 minutes or longer playing with Lovie. She was having a blast! With the bottom of the cat tree as her base, she would attack the bird toy whenever it came close, leap after it, roll around with it, and chase it out a few feet, or up onto another level of the tree.
Jester watched the toy, watched her enjoy it, and I would occasionally flick it over near him. When that happened, he would watch me instead of looking at it, to keep an eye on the biggest danger. He didn’t move from his spot, just moved his eyes.
Then I flicked the toy so it landed right in front of him, and his paw was on it before he could think. I didn’t move, and I could see his paw twitch, and then he sniffed it, then bit at it. I tugged just a little, and he renewed his grip. I gently tugged it away, and sent it back to Lovie – but he was hooked.
After that I alternated between Lovie and Jester, and soon he was immediately pouncing when it came near. Once he was committed to that, I flicked it just out of reach, and yup! He darted all the way out of hiding to grab it. Feeling very exposed, he then hurried over behind the cat tree, and true playtime entered his life. From there he played all around the base of the tree – warily watching me, but really enjoying himself.
We played for several minutes like that – Lovie was tired out and flopped down by the wall, so he had it all to himself. Eventually my feet went to sleep and I had to move, but Jester didn’t run back to his corner when I stood up, so I think real progress was made.
Lovie and Jester Gallery December
These guys are so different, but from the same farm and probably related. Lovie is more confident, so I have been able to take lots more photos of her. Jester is adorable! He’ll be showing up in more pics as he gets more confident.
Lovie is the most amazing floof! She’s good at grooming, because her fur is never matted – which is good, since she isn’t trusting enough yet to be touched, much less brushed. She’s a sweetheart, probably 9 or 10 months old, and very playful.
Jester is younger, maybe 7 months, and a beautiful tuxedo kitty. He is very suspicious of humans, but very interested in the toys they bring. He has only just felt confident enough to occasionally bat at one, but they will soon win his heart.
