Trust & Affection

Trust & Affection

Pets seem to give their trust and affection more easily than people. But when those animals have been abandoned, mistreated or abused, they are wary and need to special attention to show them that not all humans are as bad as the ones they've met so far. Willow is, sadly, one of these poor creatures.

Though she has been here for a week, she still will not jump up onto the bed (taken off the frame for her) if someone is sitting there. She doesn't mind when Todd or I enter the room and has just started to meow hello to us and will allow us to pet her, but anytime I try to pick her up, she cries in protest. While she does not fear us, she also still does not trust us.

Patience is my ally. By visiting her multiple times a day, sometimes with treats, always with kind words and gentle pets, I hope to eventually become her trusted friend. This website on socializing a feral cat reminds me how well we are already doing and good days are just around the corner.

[ ... ]

Vet Visit!

Vet Visit!

Willow, Carrie and I went to the vet yesterday to see how Willow was doing. Great news! She's gained 3/4 of a pound! When she went in for her initial visit right after being rescued, she weighed only 5 1/2 lbs, tiny by anyone's reckoning. Her ears are improving, though we need to keep applying her ear-drops twice a day. The vet, the fabulous Dr.Monica, was not able to feel the kittens inside as distinctly as last time, but I'm hoping that is just because she was not as rail thin as she was before. The vet might take an x-ray on the next visit to determine how many kittens she may have.

It's so hard not to worry about this tiny little creature with such an ordeal ahead of her. She doesn't act very kittenish, I think most of her energy is being diverted to the nourishment and growth of her kittens. When I brought up this project at the doctor's office at my visit yesterday, the nurse told me a handful of horror stories about growing up on the farm and the dangers a momma cat faces during delivery. I'm reading up on all I can and find the Veterinarian Partner site recommended by Dr. Monica to be very helpful.

[ ... ]

Meet Willow

Meet Willow

Meet Willow. We guess that she is around 9 months old. Supermodel thin, but without the attitude, she is sweet and still a little skittish. One can hardly blame her though when it's hard to tell how long she had been scrounging for herself at the hotel.

She took an immediate liking to the catnip cigar and we found her antics adorable and a good sign. She does NOT enjoy her ear medicine though. The medicine is meant to treat her for ear mites, but I think she thinks I'm just torturing her. We are off to another trip to the vet tomorrow, so I hope to hear she has a clean bill of health.

Cat Fact #1: In Colorado alone, 187,158 companion animals entered shelters in 2007 (from http://www.ddfl.org/wanted.htm).

[ ... ]