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07 Jan 2015

Another Look: Real Rescue Cats Are Talking

This is my fourth re-post in a series of four. The first was published December 17, 2014 the second was published December 24, 2014, and the third on December 31, 2014.

This was one of two interviews I did with former breeding Queens. Yes, there really ARE kitten mills just as there are puppy mills. While Nellie was never bred, her life before rescue was fraught with abuse. Most of you know Nellie, aka Queen Penelope, so you know she has a Happy Tails ending. First published February, 2013..click HERE

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH

I just know you are all going to help me welcome this marvelous ladycat…she is one of the bestest ladycats around!! You all know her…and I am so grateful that she agreed to join me for this interview so she can share her whole rescue story with you.

PURRlease…give a hearty welcome to…

NELLIE!!!

APAWS!!! APAWS!!! APAWS!!!

Savannah: Hiya Nellie!! Thanks lots for stopping by and having a meow with me. I know you aren’t new to doing interviews…but I am so proud to have you join me today…

Nellie: Hi Savanna. It is sure nice to gets out and visits with one of my girl cat furiends. Yous looks marvelous today darling. Thanks yous for letting Me tells yous my story. Yous want to know how old Me is? Me is going to be 15 in or around May but Me could has been as early as this month. Nobody knows.

Savannah: Mouses!! Nellie you are lookin’ so good…very svelte…we ladycats all need to take some beauty tips from you gurl furriend…

Nellie: oh Savvy, yous is so sweet to say that…hope you don’t mind, but I brought my own chair…it’s special and I likes it…

Savannah: Here, let me just move mine over…(scrape, scruff, scruff…)

Ok…that’s good. Now would you share with all of us how you arrived in your furrever home?

Nellie: Sure Savannah. Me shall starts at the very beginning. Me is the product of a cattery that breeded purebred Siamese. The owners would sell the “seconds” to anybody. Me hates to say it, but Me was less than purrfect, so Me was not registered and Me was bought by some peoples who wanted to breed Me for my babies so they could sell them and makes some money.

They had never had a cat before and they did not know what to do with a tiny rambunctious kitten. And the lady did not like Me because Me would scratch if their boy held Me too tight or pulled my tail. Me was not fed cat food and Me did not has any toys to play with.

(Big sigh)….Me has trouble talking about the things that happened…Me was pretty tormented by the boy and his Mom… but during that time, my Daddy did meets Me. He knew the peoples did not know what to do with Cats and he said to them if they ever did not want Me, they should gives him a call….

They did not. When the lady gots pregnant, she gots really mad at Me and Me was hit lots and she gived Me (for money) to some other peoples. They was really nasty. They had little dogs they was breeding. They said Me had behavior problems and they disciplined Me with sticks, they burned Me too with cigarettes. Finally, they tooked Me to the dog pound.

Me hated everybody! To Me, peoples meant pain. The peoples at the pound had to sedate Me to assess the damages and Me had some broken bones that had not set quite right, and some old and some new burns. Me was seriously underweight and they could not tell how old Me was because Me had not growed right from being starved. Me attacked everybody and the Pound was going to puts Me down as they said Me was unadoptable!

The first man who bought Me found out Me had been taken to the Dog Pound and he called my Daddy. Daddy called the pound and finded out that Me had been there for a week and they was going to puts Me down as Me was to awful to adopts out! Daddy said, “Wait, I’ll come and gets Nellie!”. And he did. He gots Hissy Old Licorice’s cat carrier and he went to the pound and he tolded them what he knew of my story and that him and Mommy had another cat and a dog and they let Daddy save Me!

Savannah: (reaches across to softly touch paws with Nellie)…you take your time…our readers will wait…..(purrs softly for Nellie)

Nellie: Yous is so sweet, thanks yous. When Me gots to my forever home, Me would not lets Mommy near Me. Me did not trust ladies. Me would attack peoples. Mommy and Daddy would talk quietly to Me and Hissy Old Licorice took care of Me like Me was his baby. Me was bad though. Me did not know that the garbage can was not food. Me did not know that the yummy tuna was for Mes (and Hissy Old Licorice). Me did not knows what the litter box was for.

Mommy and Daddy tooked Me to their Vet. She was a very nice lady, but Me would not let her touch Me! She keeped Me all day and she weighed Me and accessed all the damage and putting together what Daddy knew, they figured Me was over a year old, but Me was still the size of a kitten because Me was malnourished. Me had to waits until Me was more healthy before they coulds give Me my shots or my gardenectomy.

Savannah: Oh Cat! Nellie…when you are ready, will you maybe meow about how you got to trusting you Mom and Dad and let them see some of your REAL SELF.

Nellie: Mommy and Daddy was very patient with Me. Me attacked anybody who came near Me and Me attacked with claws and teeths! Mommy and Daddy was still so very nice to mes though. They loved Me, feeded Me. They never hurt Me. It tooked a long time before Me would even sit on the sofa with Daddy, purrhaps 6 months and even longer for Mommy! And even then, if Me did not want yous to pet Me, Me would attacks yous!

The hardest was the petting. Me would sit on laps and Me really wanted to be petted, but the minute a hand was on my back, particularly around my back near my tail – boom!!!! Me would see red – go crazy and bite and claw…..

Savannah: Nellie, it is hard to make new memories, huh? Especially, when the old memories are so cruel; they get in the way of making new ones.

Nellie: Savannah, Me had so very many issues. Me yowled—for no reason, Me shredded furniture and Me totally ruined Mommy’s 1950’s vinyl Dinette set! Me has shredded 4 sofas! But the absolute worst was my potty habits. Me had none. Mommy putted 4 litter boxes out. One in the living room; one in the kitchen by the foods; one in the bedroom and one where the litter box usually was. Every time Me would start to goes where Me was not supposed to, Mommy would puts Me in the box. But it tooked Me a furry long time to gets the litter box thing figured out almost 2 years.

Then, when Me did figure it out Me became the very bestest litter box digger in the world!! Me is very good at flinging litter everywhere with my digging! Me spends hours rearranging the litter in the box.

Savannah: Well, purrhaps you are just trying to make sure every piece is in its most useable place for next time???…just a thought…Anywho…meow a little about how you feel about all the paws forward you made over time…you know…how has your recovery come along??? Does your REAL SELF show more?

Nellie: Me thinks Me has been wonderful in my recovery! Me has trained my pawrents exactly as to what Me likes, when Me likes it and how Me likes it! Me likes Fancy Feast in the morning mixed with warm water and Me likes tuna at night with warm water.

Never the other way round or Me will MEERRROWWW.

Me likes my heating pad, and Me likes to sleeps beside Daddy. Mommy will do, but Me much prefers Daddy. Me still has a “circuit” Me walks and yeowels when Me is purrturbed.

Occasionally, Me will put the bitey on when Me is dissatisfied, and Me still is furry free with my claws. When Me wants attention, Me goes and gets it. If Me does not, Me will let yous know with a growl and they backs off.

Savannah: ummmm…Nellie…I think efurryone would also like to know about why Kozmo came to live with you

Nellie: MEOWWWWWW!!!…pffftttt!! Silly Kozmo…ok, but I’ll tell it this way…

Savannah, first lets Me tells yous about the great love of my life—Hissy Old Licorice! This is before the brat Kozmo…just listen Savvy…

Savannah: (lies quietly, crosses paws in front of her)…you take all the time you want Nellie…I can see this is impawtant to you…go on…

Nellie: Me loved him and he loved Mes. We was inseparable. Yes, wes did has arguments, but after he gots the Thyroid and the Kidney diseases we never fighted at all.

Two weeks before he was 18, hes stopped eating. We all knew he was ready to goes over the bridge to sees our before dog—Kokanee (they was bestest furrends). Me was laying with him when he passed.

After, Me was despondent. The picture of him and me was taken the day before he went over the bridge. Me lost weight and me was furry listless. Me meowed around the house and me laid where Licorice used to lay.

Every time Mommy or Daddy went to the door, me would run and see if he was there. After about 3 weeks, Mommy and Daddy went shopping in Kelowna and comed home with a small black and white cat!

Me hates him at first sight and we does not has a furry great relationship. Wes fights lots and but sometimes we surprises Mommy and Daddy by being furry friendly.

Hes been living with us for 2 years (he came on December 23, 2010). Me calls him the brat and me HATES sharing Daddy with him.

Me and my hairy slobbery sisters gets along well. Me loves Bob lots, but she is afraid of me because she came when me was still nasty. [UPDATE: Nellie’s beloved woofie sisfur Bob passed about 18 months or so after this interview]

But Cinnamon and me is bestest buddies! Me is trying to teach her to be the Dog From Hell!

Savannah: Yeowzers Nellie…you had so many fears when you first came and then you lost Old Licorice. I won’t keep you much longer…do you have any advice to our readers to help them…furramily and hufamily both…work together to help the furramily member create new memories?

Nellie: Patience, Patience, Patience. It was over 9 months before Me would sit with Daddy. And another 6 before he could pets Me. The claws and teeths is defense mechanisms. Pet us when we comes to yous, but don’t chase us.

One can never has too many litter boxes.

Routine. We need predictability.

Lets us have our own little space. Mommy made Me a cave out of a computer box (they was big in those days) and she cutted a hole in it that was Nellie size. Hissy Old Licorice or the hairy slobbery sister Kokanee could nots get in. She put it under the kitchen table. Mommy puts a furry blanket in there and she would put crunchies in a bowl in there. The litter box was right beside my box. Me liked my special private place, but Me slowly gots used to being outs and abouts and did not worry about the other animals.

Hissy Old licorice was good for Me. He acted just like a Mommy and it was what Me needed. This might not work for others, but it worked for Mes!

Savannah: This was great! Any last thought or words of wisdom you want to share?

Nellie: Savannah, thanks yous so much for letting Me shares my story with yous. Me knows Me is furry long winded. Can Me kiss yous now?

Savannah: oh Nellie (shuffling paws back and forth)…why don’t you come over here with me while I wrap up…I can scootch over for you…

Nellie: Oh thanks yous Savvy…(leans down and gives Savvy a soft smoochie)

MOUSES!!! Wasn’t Nellie a great interview?

Paw pats, Savannah

19 Dec 2014

25 Comments

Do You Have A Thief In Your Home?

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

Well I certainly DO have a thief in MY home…bet’cha none of you can even begin to guess that thief’s name. Go on, give it a go…try.

You are WRONG!! It is NOT Dad P!! He never ever never thieves anything, at least not from me. Of course, I have no interest in all things chocolate like he does, so perhaps that is why HE is not the thief.

What? Oh, finally. Someone guessed correctly…The Kid Sage!

She is a NATURAL THIEF! Only just recently revealing this skill.

I am not sure what to do about this. Certainly I, personally, would never ever never do such a thing!

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Paw Pats, Savannah…sort of…umm…maybe this post belongs to TKS?

PAW BUMPS, THE KID SAGE!

Posted in Sage's Life Experiences and tagged CAT GAME, cat humor, cat recovery

17 Dec 2014

61 Comments

Another Look: Real Rescue Cats Are Talking

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

Mom L and I agreed that it was appropriate to re-post some of my “Real Rescue Cats/Dogs Are Talking: Life Changing Interviews With Savannah”.

For the period of one full year, I did monthly interviews with one cat and one dog about their Real Rescue Story. They spoke in their own voices and their stories proved to be riveting in so many different ways. Enough so that I am bringing back a few while Mom L is recovering from her knee replacement surgery.

I will be re-posting two Real Rescue Cats Are Talking and two Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking. It was difficult to chose which four to re-post because all 24 were so well received by my readers. The four we selected are all about rescue cats and dogs who had many challenges to overcome; some of their challenges are unique. For those of you who have not read these interviews before, I hope you will find them insightful and inspiring.

One of my interviews with Real Rescue Cats was an unusual story.

How many of you heard a story about rescuing an adult cat from a human drug house? The effect of living in that toxic environment caused Pooh to have unique behavioral challenges to overcome.

Please join me in re-visiting Pooh’s Real Rescue Cats Are Talking Interview:

Re-posted From 2013

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH:

Now this next adult rescue ladycat is someone many you most likely will not know. But she has been around the paw blog community for a while…but just recently, she and her woofie brofurs and Mumsy have all combined their blogs so we just need to visit ONE to know all about each and efurryone one of them.

Great idea, Huh?

Now I bet’cha some of you have already guessed who this might be…oh—one more thing…this ladycat comes from a furramily that lives the word “rescue”…for quadrupeds AND bipeds!

I have your interest now, huh??!!

PURRlease give a very warm Savannah’s Paw Tracks welcome to…

POOH!

APAWS!! APAWS!! APAWS!!

Pooh has two woofie brofurs who I have already interviewed…Chancy (click HERE to read his interview…my very first woofie!) and Baby Boy (click HERE to read his interview)!

Remember them?? Well, now they and their cat furramily members can be found at “Mag’s Corner” …click HERE to stop by and say ‘hello’.

Savannah: Hiya Pooh! This is like so crazy, huh? Here we are having this meow after I have already interviewed your woofie brofurs Chancy and Baby Boy. In fact, Chancy was my very first ever Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking Interview…luvluvluv him!

Now I get to have a meow with YOU! PAWSOME!!

Pooh: Thank you Savannah for interviewing me. I am happy to tell my story and I hope something I say will help other kitties and their families.

Savannah: Now Pooh, just take your time…and tell us how you came to be living with Chancy, Baby Boy, Mumsy, Popsy, Patches and Snookums!!! That is some furramily you have Pooh.

Pooh: Well, Savannah—almost 11 years ago Mumsy heard that I was being abused and was about to be shot.

Savannah: NOES!!! MOUSES!!! Pooh!!! (Savannah covers mouth with paw in shock). Oh purrlease forgive me Pooh for interrupting you…that is pawful!!…go on…(Savannah scooches closer to Pooh)

Pooh: Oh Savvy, not to worry. It was a very scary time for me.

You see I had lived in a drug house almost my whole 2 years of life. Those people were very mean to me. They decided they didn’t want me around anymore and a nice person over-heard them saying they were going to shoot me.

That nice person got in touch with Mumsy to see if she would take me in if the nice person could talk those mean people into giving me up. The nice person was able to get me and I was brought to Mumsy and Popsy’s loving arms and home.

My First Days

When I first come to my new forever home there were no woofies. There were just three kitties—Frisky, Patches and Snookums. It was a cat haven but I could have cared less then.

Savannah: I bet you felt safe almost immediately Pooh.

I know you had so many challenges to get past Pooh. Can you tell us what some of the biggest ones have been? And maybe meow a little about how Mumsy and Popsy helped you feel safer so you could show your REAL SELF.

Pooh: Oh, yes I gave Mumsy some huge challenges to get past. When I first came I was so wild and did such crazy things Mumsy told Popsy she was beginning to think I had brain damage. But now she thinks a lot of what I did was caused from being exposed to drugs.

Everyone learned real fast not to turn their back on me because I would jump up in the middle of their back and dig all my sharp claws in as deep as I could. I would hang there until someone could pull me loose one paw at a time holding each paw until all were removed from the person’s back.

Mumsy was the first to get a good taste of my claws in her back. She didn’t get mad at me but she knew we had a lot of work to do.

I would also run wildly around the house bumping my head into the walls and furniture. I really didn’t want anything to do with humans except to dig into their backs, bite and scratch them. Considering where I came from though, Mumsy understood why I was doing some of the things I did.

There were times I would stand for long periods and stare straight into Mumsy’s eyes like I was daring her to try to get near and I was waiting to dig in my claws deep if she did.

Mumsy would talk to me in a gentle voice and never gave up trying to get closer and closer to me without getting bites or claws in the back. She wanted me to feel safe and alter the bad behaviors before I seriously injured myself or some person.

Savannah: Aiieee…those are some tough issues to work through Pooh! You are very brave. Would you mind telling us some of the different things Mumsy and Popsy did to help you? You know, stuff maybe that would give other human Guardians some ideas about how they can help their own adult rescue cat show more of his REAL SELF.

Pooh: Mumsy worked with me a lot and helped me get all better but she had help from surprising sources that really got me over the big hump to recovery.

Savannah: hmmmm…that sounds kind of mysterious Pooh…meow some more about what you mean.

Pooh: Like you said when you introduced me Savvy, my huMom and huDad live the word “rescue”…they have done that all their lives.

Mumsy and Popsy were foster parents for a lot of years for biped younglings—and Mumsy cared for a lot of drug babies. So as I said before she always spoke to me in a soft voice…like she did with the drug babies.

That was a good thing but some of my recovery came after I made friends with the kitty, Frisky.

That’s Me In Front

We bonded and she taught me a lot. She would give me a bath several times a day and after a while I started to give her baths. She would cuddle up to me and I learned to like that and would cuddle and nap with her.

After Frisky got me calmed some then Mumsy started working on getting me to relax and not be terrified of humans. She would sneak and pick me up when I was sleeping with Frisky. She knew she couldn’t swaddle me with a blanket like she did the drug babies so she tried another thing. She held me on my back snuggled gently to her chest with her arms swaddling me as best they could. She would talk to me ever so softly. Sometimes I would get a claw in her but most of the time she had full control of me as long as I was on my back.

There was not a whole lot of progress made with me liking humans for some time. But some help came through unexpected means which got me on the road to trusting and liking my humans.

Savannah: Ok Pooh…that’s sounds like another mystery like when you revealed how Mumsy and Popsy have fostered biped drug younglings…so give Pooh…what else unexpected helped you?

Pooh: Mumsy and Popsy took in a rabbit that was left abandoned in a field not far from our home. Mumsy named him Hoolie. I would go with Mumsy when she would feed and tend to Hoolie and watch intently. I began going to his pen and would rub noses with him.

He had free run of the house in the day time and I learned it was great fun to play with him. I loved that rabbit and would run with him as he hopped all through the house. I gave him baths and slept with him sometimes.

After that we took in some rats. Oh, I loved those rats too and would rub noses with them. Mumsy wouldn’t let them run loose though so I didn’t get to play with them. I would stand at their cage and rub noses with them several times a day though.

Then would you believe we took in 2 guinea pigs. Those little piggies were so cute. I loved the little one…his name was DK.

I would go with Mumsy when she cleaned his cage, fed and watered him. He and I would talk—he in piggy talk and me in kitty talk; we rubbed noses too—he was a funny little guy.

Mumsy thinks me watching her giving tender loving care to the rabbit, rats and guinea pigs helped me a lot because I began letting her stroke me with one hand as she held me with her other arm. She slowly began to hold me on my back less confined and one day she saw I was really liking to be held in her arms and stroked while she talked softly to me.

After a while longer she was able to ease me down into her lap and she stroked my back while I lay stretched out falling asleep. I still love for her to do that now it feels so good and really relaxes me.

Savannah: Pooh, do you think you are different now from when you first arrived at your furrever home? What do you know you do now that you wouldn’t or couldn’t do before?

Pooh: Oh yes, Savannah I am a lot different now. I can now trust most people and love being around Mumsy. She talks to me and now I talk to her.

I can even say two words that anyone can clearly understand. I can say ‘mama’ and ‘no’.

I will talk to Mumsy for as long as she talks to me and I love to have long conversations. I still dig my claws in sometimes and keep them out more than I should but we are still working on that. When I jump up on something I still keep my claws out. Mumsy thinks I may feel like I am going to fall. She has taught me to sit in front of her and meow and she picks me up gently and puts me on her lap then I don’t dig in.

She was told those mean people would pick me up and throw me, sometimes throwing me into a wall. So she well understands why I want to dig my claws into things. I no longer run into walls and Mumsy is sure happy about that. She was afraid I was going to injure myself because I hit the wall with great force at times.

I get along well with all the cats and our closest family members. I have learned to like and trust humans; a great big step. Mumsy is so proud of me for coming along as well as I have over the last 11 years.

Savannah: Oh Cat! Pooh! You went through so much living in that drug house; you were abused; sometimes hurt and never ever loved. To think you survived to be two years old is amazing! And then you got the best ever furrever home!

So Pooh, last question, can you offer any advice to our readers to help them support their adult rescue cat, or one they may be thinkin’ about brining into their home, through its recovery process?

Pooh: Never get upset with your rescue cat, be gentle, talk softly and have tons and tons of patience. If you have a thought of something to try that may help your cat get better even if you think the idea might be silly give it a try anyway.

Never give up on us; we have been through a lot and deserve to have a safe, loving, forever home and happy life no matter what it takes to get us there.

Savannah: Pooh, This was great! Any last thought or words of wisdom you want to share?

Pooh: Big hugs and tons of nose kisses from me to all the terrific people who care about us and have and will take in rescue cats.

Remember, Adult Rescue Cats Are Worth It!

Thank you so very much Pooh for taking time to do this interview with me. You have an amazing story to share and to help us all learn different ways to help adult rescue cats move beyond their past.

That’s my post for today. Hope you enjoyed meeting precious Pooh…be sure to hop over to her bloggy and say “hello”…Mag’s Corner.