Savannah's Paw Tracks

Autobiography of a Former Shelter Cat

Archive for the tag “cat recovery”

My Icky RIng Worm

Hey there…so I thought I would start by sharing some stories from my volunteer staff at Kitty Corner!  I interviewed lots of them to learn about my life there…and gosh…so much of it brought up the time I had ring worm! YUK! So…here are some stories and I have tried to make my silly comments in bold…hope you enjoy these stories ‘cuz I believe they all show how much my volunteers loved me even when I was sooooo verrryyy scared!

From Tammy:  When Savannah first came to KC she was in an enclosure and she was so shy and withdrawn. After a week or so we left the door open but she continued to stay in there on her own volition. Gradually, she got more comfortable being out but would duck and cover when people came as just too overwhelmed. She often was under the white chair or in a tower perch. She enjoyed pets on her head, and ears and sometimes her back but only tolerated it for a very short time and then would hiss at times to tell you she had enough.
She behaved that way for quite some time. Very very shy and aloof never seeking out attention. She enjoyed it when she got it but in very small doses. Then, as you know she developed ringworm and that was really hard on her. She did not like being constantly medicated and touched as much as was necessary. It was extremely hard on her and stressful. I was starting to wonder if she would be a permanent resident since she was so shy. But Alas, came along her FM and FD to save the day!! Now this cat is completely spoiled and HAPPY beyond belief.

Savannah Comment: I LOVE YOU TAMMY!!! You soooo saved my life!!!  Please come over for a play day when I am feeling a bit more social than last time you dropped over to my forever home.

HIYA AGAIN! Savannah Here!

Memories from Kitty Corner…and lots more to come!

Ok, I’m pretty much ready to tell more of my life…at least stuff others have told me…and the stuff I kinda remember from when I was saved from…ummm…well…you already know that part.

So, anyways–another HUGE WHEW! Tammy, who volunteers with the Contra Costa Humane Society in Pleasant Hill, CA—they have this really cool place for cats called Kitty Corner—anyways—Tammy got the shelter to let her take me to her house February 10-16, 2011—until a place opened up for me at Kitty Corner.

Tammy says I was really sweet at her house, but still so painfully shy; hiding and not able to interact with her much….GOSH!  I am so sorry Tammy that I couldn’t show how grateful I was already feeling.  You really got me started on my first steps to Mental Recovery…I started to remember what it felt like to have a human touch me with kindness and love…big furry hugs being sent to you RIGHT NOW TAMMY!  Puurrrrrrrrrr!! Tee hee!

Then…2/17/2 011 I got to go to CC Humane Society’s Kitty Corner…WHOOPPEE!!!..weellllll…sort of a little whoopee maybe.

But, guess what?!  Yeah, you guessed…I was still just way overwhelmed with so many other cats and we could all roam free—so there was lots of activity, my new roomies were mostly all playing with each other, the toys and even with the human staff who came several times a day to hang with us—actually—pretty cool setup!

The volunteers petted me when I let them, and gave me attention but I was too overwhelmed and most of the time hid under the chairs or in the towers.

My constant stress led to me getting ringworm from another cat…YUKKY awfulllll stuff!  Holy smokes—just my luck!  I got over it eventually, but I had to be isolated, meaning in a large enclosure so I wouldn’t give it to any of my roomies.

Does anyone reading my autobiography know what it means to have “body memories”???? Wellllll…I can tell ya all about that.  At Kitty Corner I think I started to have body memories…that’s when something you touch, smell or something that touches you or you hear—reminds you of an earlier time in your life.

That started happening to me lots at Kitty Corner—so mostly I was more troubled, scared and terribly worried cuz’ I couldn’t figure what was bugging me so much.  Like, I am sure I used to be chased when I must have been a stray or living kinda wild I guess.  Cuz when one of the volunteers would move quickly toward wherever I was…I totally freaked out!  I thought I was gonna be chased again…maybe even hit…

Oh dear…I know my body remembers getting hit and chased…and I just acted out because of that…so I usually ran from the volunteers and hid out ‘til they were gone so I could use the litter boxes and grab a bite to eat.

But my body also remembered nice things…like the first time one of the volunteers brushed me…OMG…I totally melted!  Better than kitty treats—seriously!  I just know someone loved me when I was a kitten and I think they must have brushed me lots…I kinda go into a trance and daydream when I get brushed…oooohhhhh love it, love it, love it! WOW!

Well, I’m ready to go hang out in my upstairs cat bed…ya know, the one in the window on Mom’s office counter??  Well, it is a great place, cuz first I can watch Mom work on editing my blog…and the bed is in front of a window that she leaves open so I can have fresh air and listen to the outdoor noises…I especially like the birds tweeting…yumm…oh my gosh, I forgot myself—did not really mean that—of course I wouldn’t think of chowing down on a bird—heavens no!!!  Must have been a body memory again—sorrrrryyyyy!  Well, now I really gotta go—embarrassed myself—so thanks for dropping by to keep up with my—catch’ya later, Savannah 

Hello, hello, hello…Savannah here!!! my autobiography

My First Memories

So, OK.  This is what I was told, not what I remember…cuz’ I kinda can’t remember stuff until I was finally saved from the county shelter by Tammy and taken to Kitty Corner…so here is what I was told and I have added the little bit I kinda remember…mostly stuff about how I was feeling…

Intake date – 11/30/10 – night drop at the Martinez shelter. Came in as a stray…

    • If  I could’a cried I would have.  OMG…I am in a cage, someone must have trapped me or maybe my last family just couldn’t keep me and so decided to drop me here.
    • First thoughts…thank you whoever you were that you dropped me at the Martinez shelter and not on the side of the road!!!    Whew!  First missed bullet!
    • Oh dear… I am so afraid

I was at the shelter till December 22, 2010– then was taken to Pittsburg Petsmart and then I was brought back to the shelter on January 20th 2011 for a cage break…

    • Oooohhhh…I am so scared…what is going to happen to me…
    • Does anyone want me…and what did I do wrong…I am so sorry if I did something wrong… please forgive me
    • And…I so totally know the Martinez Shelter and Petsmart were really trying to       help me—really—they were totally kind…it was all just so scary

Now I have had a cage break—that means I was allowed to be out of a small cage and given a tad more space then taken to Concord Petsmart January 31, 2011

Then…I had to go back to the shelter on Feb 3rd 2011 cuz’ I was showing signs of depression…then I caught a bad cold—called a URI.

I know the shelter was ready to, well….you know what…ummm, ahhhh, put me to sleep forever cuz’ nobody wanted me…I was so withdrawn, hiding in the back of my cage…shivered a lot out of fear I guess…I don’t know…sigh…

Ok, I’m gonna stop for now—I am getting kinda sad and just like humans, we cats have forgotten memories and writing about this stuff is sorta bringing back some of those memories…so I’m gonna go find my Dad or Mom and hang with them right now…I need some pets and maybe a little play time too.

So, TTFN, Savannah 

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