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04 Dec 2012

Real Rescue Cats Are Talking…

Hiya! Savannah Here!

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH

A Bi-Monthly Series Featuring Adult Rescue Dogs and Cats

I have a really great interview today. I have known this ladycat since early October, 2012…and I know several other paw bloggers know her as well…so let’s not wait…purrlease help me welcome…my next Real Rescue Cats Are Talking guest…

PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO NYLABLUE!

APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!

Savannah: Hiya Nylablue! I am so purrleased you agreed to come by and have a meow with me.

Nylablue: EEOWW EEOOWW Savannah, Fankz fer invitin me to do diz interview…me iz eggcited!!!

Savannah: Oh Cat! Me too! We have meowed about this opportunity for months! Now Nylablue, I just know…really, I do…everyone is going to want to know…”how did you come by such a beautiful name?”

Nylablue: ohh…ummm…is it Ok if I turn this over to my Mom?

Savannah: Of course…turns to Miss Sherri-Ellen…

Miss Sherri-Ellen: Nyla was born in 2001 and she came into a local shelter 2005 & the shelter operator’s sister took her home the same day & named her NYLA. I don’t know why. A year later, NYLA came to live with me & I wanted to expand her name. I looked up the meaning of NYLA & it means ‘winner’ in Greek & ‘dark blue’ in Sanskrit (East Indian).

So her name became NYLABLUE. When I called her that name the 3rd day she was with me she came RIGHT to me…which she hadn’t done b4.

Savannah: Oh Cat! That is a great naming process! Thank you Miss Sherri-Ellen (turns back to Nylablue after giving Miss Sherri-Ellen a little head bump)…Alrighty, Nylablue, can you meow a bit about your life before Miss Sherri-Ellen?

Nylablue: me early life iz a blur. Me waz a breedin queen in a kitty mill ‘n me got bery sick after many litterz. You seez, I am a Bluepoint Birman/Siamese cross. As you can seez Iz haz a Birman head & body & eye color. My tail is Siamese & so is my cat-titude…MOL!

Anywayz, me waz thrown out into da street around 4 years old. Me can’t bemember fer how long; me doez bemember bein terryfied ‘n lonely.

Me waz picked up ‘n taken to our local shelter fer a day. Da shelter operator’z sister took me to her home dat nite. Dere waz a big crazy dog n another siamese there. Me did not like dem ‘n me was made to hab more kittenz before they would spay me. I think theyz wanted more $$$…don’t really knowz

Savannah: No!! That is pawful Nylablue! You thought you were going to be safe and they treated you pawfully!…(Savvy purrs loudly to support and comfort Nylablue)

Nylablue: Thank you Savvy. Me was still sick ‘n half my teethiez were taken out when me waz finally spayed. A little while later me waz taken back to vet ‘n the humanz were told me had chronic cystitis. Dey decided to put me to sleep forebeber!!!!

Savannah: MOUSES!! NO!!! Even after you gave them more kittens to sell??!!!

Nylablue: I knowz, I knowz…Savvy…Da shelter operator called me mum ‘n asked if she would rescue me. Diz waz in june of 2006. She came to see me ‘n waz not sure as she waz tryin fer another cat. When she got da 2nd call from shelter lady she then decided to get me instead ‘n me waz hourz from death!!

So june 5th me waz brought to Sherri-Ellen’z house. Me waz around 5 yearz old den. Me iz gonna be 12 thiz December. Me mum had no idea how sick me waz!

Savannah:..(wiping leaky eyes, and drippy nose with back of paws)…ahem…sorry Nylablue, I feel so badly that happened to you. If it’s not too hard, can you meow more about the tuffest things you had to overcome to trust Miss Sherri-Ellen?

Nylablue: In da beginnin’ me waz aloof wif da Sherri-Ellen. Me knew she waz good but da fear waz too much fer me. Me would not allow any touchin or holdin’ at all!! Sherri-Ellen waz very patient wif me. We would play toyz alot ‘n she would sing little songz to me. She tried many different foodz fer me ‘n bought me a pedestal bed ‘n me own blanketz. She would pat da couch ‘n ask me to come up n sit wif her ‘n slowly me decided me could do dat.

Den in March 2008 me had to hab the rest of da bad teethiez out ‘n dat waz so scary fer me. Sherri-ellen spent da day wif me at the vet’s ‘n den brought me home ‘n spent over 3 weekz wif me 24/7!!! She didn’t leave da house at all ‘n took purrfect care of me ‘n dat iz where da big trust waz built tween us!!!

It took over 4 years fer me to allow strokin’ on me head & den belly rubz. She waz so patient talkin’ to me all da time ‘n singin those songs.

When hu’manz come to vizit me, mum tellz people dey can look but not touch. She is my purrtector!! Me still not likin’ bein picked up but me toleratez it when me haz to. Me neber hidez anymore; me iz confident dat mum will purrtect me.

Savannah:…OH My Cat! I can so relate to the “don’t touch me if you are a stranger”…meow to us about how you showed more of your REAL SELF?

Nylablue: me mum used music to calm me ‘n communicate with me. Hearing songs over ‘n over comforted me ‘n gave me stability.

Mum also gave me many spotz wif blanketz so me can nap where me wantz. Me noticed diz hu’man talked more den any of the otherz…MOL!!!

Sometimez we hab dissegreementz ‘n she alwayz apologizez ‘n we cuddle alot. Me can be bery bossy when me wantz which mum sayz iz a great thing because it showz da real me confident ’ n brave!!!

Lastly mum will not allow any other catz in da house. When she doez rescue, the other catz have to live on patio til they go to shelter. Me doez hab a few doggie fur-endz who do come in to vizit me. Where me used to hate dogz me likez dem now. Again mum waz patient introducin dese doggiez to me ‘n reassurin me dey were me fur-endz.

Savannah: Just a little more Nylablue, ‘cuz I know the readers like to learn what you do now that you never ever did when you were first rescued.

Nylablue: yow!! dere hab bin so many changez!! Me iz playful ‘n chatty. Me lubz to watch da ‘peepinz’ (birdies) either from my pedestal bed or bein out in me condo. The condo is a newr idea mum came up wif 3 yearz ago. Me can be outside ‘n be safe.

Me lookz forward to snugglin wif mum ‘n me lubz to be brushed before bed also. Me iz a much happier kitteh now; connected to diz hu’man. Bemember me haz neber been connected or bonded to any hu’man before.

De only challneges left iz da health issuez. Me iz on meddy-ca-shun fer da cysitits ‘n da inflammatory bowel disease. Me also carriez da feline herpes virus so sometimez need to go to da vet (uncle Dave) ‘n that upsetz me so mum haz to work extra hard to keep me calm wif singin ‘n reassurin me fingz will be all right. There will alwayz be little challengez; but me mum will help me get thru’.

Savannah: You are a brave cat Nylablue (Savvy reaches over with paw to give soft pat)… one last question; can you meow advice to readers to help them support their adult rescue cat, or one they may be thinkin’ about bringing into their home, so it can show its REAL SELF?

Nylablue: Me would say to da hu’manz;

Be ready to devote many many hourz to da rescue kitteh.
Make sure da kitteh haz plenty of space to call their own ‘n blanketz ‘n toyz.
Leavin music on fer kittehz iz a good idea to familiarize us to da sound of talkin’.
Spend time just talkin’ to da kitteh ‘n strokin gently ‘n maybe try to brush gently.
Move slowly ‘n keep fingz quiet til kitteh adjustz to new place.
Always tell your kitteh when you are goin out ‘n say ‘eeoww’ when returnin’ eben if we iz asleep. It helpz wif da abandonment issue ‘n we feel better knowin what iz going on.
if you haz little hu’manz dey have to be supervized alwayz.
Introduce da kitteh to any other petz a little at a time
Finally, pleeze respect yer kitteh if you iz told dey need to be the only 4 legged in da house.

Me would say to da to da kittehz:

Be bery patient wif yerself ‘n wif da hu’manz. Diz will be a learnin experience fer both of you.
When da hu’man doez sumfing right, try to head rub dem. Dey need reassurance too.
Let dem know when you need sumfing…diz can be a challenge if dey don’t speak yer language so showin’ dem iz alwayz a good idea!!

We do make great pet fur-endz if da hu’man iz willing to be devoted to us showing our REAL SELF.

Savannah: Oh Nylablue!! I am so purringly happy we know each other and are good furriends! Any last words of wisdom you want to meow about?

Nylablue: Savannah me wantz to fank you agin fer da pawsome opportunity to meow about me life ‘n about cat rescue.

Me mum haz bin a cat rescuer since she waz a kit herself ‘n she haz given me da dream of a lifetime: to be respected ‘n lubbed totally by a hu’man. Me haz enjoyed diz interview alot ‘n me wishez you well in your home wif yer hu’manz too!! We iz da truly blessed kittehz!!!!! Lub Nylablue

MEOWSER! That is one brave ladycat…it is my privilege to know Nylablue and her courageous Mom Miss Sherri-Ellen.

Let me tell you a bit about them…they were very active bloggers on another site that shut down mid year 2012. They moved to Word Press, but they have not been able to make the connections they used to have because of this move. So purrlease, visit Nylablue at her new Word Press blog, she is truly…heh…heh…”The Cat’s Meow”!!

Nylablue is well known to our paw blog community through her long time furriend Chancy, who was also on that now defunct (VBP) site.

Thank you for stopping by today, I thought Nylablue’s rescue story deserved lots of space and time because we all hear and talk so much about “puppy mills” and how horrid they are…but speaking for this ladycat, this was my first furriend who was a “breeder cat” at a “kitten mill”…

Paw pats, Savannah

Information on Kitten Mills:

http://www.purebredcatrescue.org/kitten-mills

I only did a 1 minute ‘fact check’ about kitten mills for purebred cats and this looked the most recent. I will do more searching tomorrow. Thank you Nylablue for bringing this to this ladycat and her huFamily’s attention.

20 Nov 2012

31 Comments

Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking…

Hiya! Savannah Here!

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEWS WITH SAVANNAH

A Bi-Monthly Series Featuring Adult Rescue Dogs and Cats

Oh you are so gonna luvluvluv my doggy interview today! He is just, well…cute…and wise and brave!

My good furriend, Khumba, from Twitter (@khumbasibe) and FB , Tails from the Pack, is the one who sent me over to have a meow and woo with this guest’s older brother…but then once I meowed and aarrwwoo’d (yes, I do speak some Sibe and a few general doggy dialects)…with his pack leaders, we thought his little brother would be a purrfect interview guest.

So let’s not wait…help me give a warm paw blog welcome to:

DEZ

APAWS!! APAWS!! APAWS!!

Savannah: Hiya Dez! Thanks lots for stopping by and having a bark with me…I know your big bro’ Tyler, @Tyler_T_Dog, from our Twitter barks, arwoo woo’s and meows…So purrleased he directed me to you!

Dez: I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to be here…or anywhere! I’m the luckiest Dez ever!

Savannah: Well, I know you and Tyler get out for lots of walkies…but let’s get started…can you bark a bit about how you found your furrever home?

Dez: I was picked up by Pet Angels Rescue. They found me after a looooong time of living out on the streets. They put me up for adoption on a website, I think it was on this thingy called Pet Finders??

My people told me that they saw me on there and knew they had to come check me out because I was soooo cute.

One day, in May of 2010, Pet Angels Rescue had an adoption event at a local mall and guess what?!? They decided to take ME—DEZ! (Back then, my name was Frank, but I didn’t like that name too well. It didn’t really fit my personality.)

There I was in a little make-shift cage with a bunch of other pups when this real nice couple came in and started looking at me. I knew I had to be on my best behavior or they wouldn’t pick me. So I acted real cool and didn’t get all excited like the other pups in the cage. It worked! They decided to take me for a walk to see if they would just love me forever.

After our walk, they put me back in the cage. I was so confused. I thought they loved me and wanted to take me home. The man kept talking about how “Tyler” would react to me while the lady kept talking about how cute I was. Then they both left and I was real sad.

Savannah: Oh Dez, that must have been so scary—not knowing if the bipeds would come back for you…I am sorry you had to wait.

Dez: It was pretty scary Savvy…is it OK if I call you Savvy?

Savannah: oh cat! Of course!

Dez: Anywho, a few days later, they came back! They decided to take me home with them. I was so happy when they were filling out the papers that I was running all over the house. Nothing could keep me still! That was the same day I met my new brother, Tyler. He’s an older husky and he acts grumpy sometimes, but I know he loves me!

I’ve been in my new home over 2 years and I love it! I’ve gained lots of weight and have lots of toys. Tyler and I go to daycare 2 times a week and they love us there!

Savannah: So Dez, can you bark a bit more about any stuff you had to work through when you first came to live in your furrever…did you have any, well…like…ya know…luggage baggage left from your past??

Dez: I warmed up to my people real quick.

At first I didn’t like to put on my leash. In fact, my first day at my new home, they put me on a leash in the kitchen because they didn’t know if I would tear up all of their fancy stuff and make a huge mess. Well, I chewed right through that leash without them knowing and I busted out of the kitchen and had a great time playing with Tyler all day.

When they got home they were so surprised that I had eaten through my leash, but even more surprised that I didn’t tear up anything, so I got lots of treats!

The only problem I really have is I am very possessive of my big brother, Tyler. Sometimes when we go on long walks together, I pick fights with other dogs because I think they want to hurt him. I know he’s old and I feel like it’s my job to protect him. I’m only 20 lbs. and he’s 90 lbs., but he’s a little weak and I don’t want him to get hurt.

My pack leaders work with me to try to keep me from getting so excited. We go to the dog park, but I don’t ever start fights at the park. It’s only at home. They told me that I need to get that under control if I want to be a Canine Good Citizen like Tyler.

I’m still trying…

Savannah: Well, of course you need to keep Tyler safe…even if he is grumpy sometimes; you know he is happy to have you with him. Dez, did you and your pack leaders do special stuff to help you with your, errrr…ummmm…anger management.

Dez: I don’t really have many issues…and I don’t really get “angry”…just really protective of Tyler.

Savannah: oh Dez, thank you for correcting me…”anger” is a peep behavior…I know we cats and dogs react to stuff that scares us or threatens our own, or our furriends’ safety…purrlease go on…

Dez: I’ve been a really, really good boy. The few problems I do have, we’ve done some different things to try to address them. Since my issues are with other dogs, my pack leaders take me to places where I can interact with other dogs and be social with them. My first challenge was daycare.

They wanted me and Tyler to go to the same daycare place, so I had to take a temperament test before I was allowed to go. They left me at daycare for almost a whole day and I didn’t start any fights so I got to go to daycare with Tyler!

When I started going with Tyler, that was when I became more possessive, but I learned which dogs were our friends and which dogs Tyler didn’t want to play with. He told me, and I make sure to keep those dogs away from him. I’m not mean to them, I just bark at them until they go play somewhere else. They call me Tyler’s Body Guard! BOL!

The first time we went to a dog park, I thought I had gone to heaven! There were so many puppies to sniff and so many things to pee on…I didn’t even know where to start! I know my pack leaders were nervous about how I would act, but I was really good! I didn’t start any fights with anyone.

For me, it’s the unstable dogs around my neighborhood that make me nervous. We go out lots of times every day so I can get used to seeing them. Without Tyler, I do just fine. It’s when Tyler comes with us that I get nervous and start fights.

Savannah: Mouses, Dez, you have really done lots to get a hold of your protection urges…bark some more about how you and your pack leaders are making sure you can show more and more of your REAL SELF.

Dez: My pack leaders are working with me on my possessiveness with my big brother Tyler, correcting my actions when I act out. We hope by this coming summer I can be good enough to go to puppy school and take classes for my Canine Good Citizenship test!! That way I can be just like my big brother! I am so excited!!! School will be tough, but I am up for the challenge. Having patient pack leaders helps too.

Savannah: It is the bestest ever to have our pack leaders or Guardians be so supportive, huh? So my last question, can you offer any advice to our readers to help them support their adult rescue dog, or one they may be thinkin’ about brining into their home, through its recovery process so that dog can show more and more of its REAL SELF?

Dez: Cats and dogs are a lot more like people than the peeps really think! We’re very smart and very in tune to what our pack leaders are thinking and feeling.

From the way peeps react to us…from when we bring our favorite toy to them to us bothering them for a potty break…we know if they are excited to be with us or if they would rather be left alone. Sometimes it hurts our feelings when they don’t appreciate the messes we make or the trouble we go through to get our favorite toy on the couch for them.

We always do these things because we love them and are so happy they decided to share their life with us. We tell them with our voices, our barks, arwoo woos…and with our actions that we care about them very much. Without the peeps to take care of us, we would probably already be at the Rainbow Bridge. As nice as the Rainbow Bridge is, no puppy or kitty wants to get there before their time.

Savannah: MEOW! Dez, for such a young dog, you are very wise! You and your pack leaders have made a real furramily together!

We are at the end of our interview, but Dez, do you have any last thoughts or words of wisdom you want to share?

Dez: We’re not perfect and no matter how hard we, meaning us adult rescue dogs and our pack leaders, both try, accidents are going to happen. Together we can make each other’s lives a little less boring and a little more worth living. Hug your adopted pet every chance you get, because we love it just as much as you love doing it.

Savannah: Well, that’s a wrap on another great Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking: Life Changing Interview with Savannah. Hope you all luvluvluv’d Dez as much as me!

Now, Dez doesn’t blog, but just an FYI for readers, Dez and Tyler have their own FB page, Tyler Huskamute, so hop over and give them a “LIKE”…or send a Tweet to Tyler @Tyler_T_Dog and he will pass it along to Dez.

Paw Pats, Savannah

peeEss I am looking for rescue dogs and cats who want to pawticipate in my Life Changing Interview with Savannah series: I have openings for CATS: Feb and March 2013 and DOGS: Jan and Feb and March. I try to schedule one to three months out so my furriends have time cuz I know they are all very busy. Let me know if you want to pawticipate or you have a referral. Thank you, Savannah

Posted in Savannah's Life Experiences and tagged adopt adult cat, cat recovery, dog rescue, real rescue stories, shelter rescue cat, trust

06 Nov 2012

71 Comments

Real Rescue Cats Are Talking…

Hiya! Savannah Here!

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH

A Bi-Monthly Series Featuring Adult Rescue Dogs and Cats

I have a very special guest today…she is special because she is shy and even though she has been in her furrever home for years now, she is still learning new things. And, she doesn’t blog or tweet or do FB…but she does follow many of my furriends blogs…she is always there leaving comments when she can. So I thought it was time we all get to know her…

PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO MISTLETOE

APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!

Savannah: Welcome Mistletoe! I am so purrleased you were able to come by for a little meow with me!

Mistletoe: Hi Savannah! I am sooo purrleased, and a little nervous, to be here. I hope that my story can reassure any humans thinking about bringing an adult cat into their home.

Savannah: Mistletoe, just to get us started, I know you don’t blog or use Twitter or Facebook, so can you tell us how you found me?

Mistletoe: Well my huMom got an iPad for her big birthday (whispers behind paw…she turned 50) and she started to explore different sites and she came across a couple of cat blogs.

The first was Cat From Hell with the indomitable Queen Penelope. From there she clicked on different comments to find different bloggers. She picked your blog from the comments because she liked your name. Once we started to read your blog and realized you were an adult rescue, like me, we asked to be emailed with all your new bloggings.

Savannah: Oh Cat! Nellie is so pawpular, her blog is a great place to start exploring lots of other paw blogs. I consider myself so lucky that you dropped by to visit me from there… you started a great furriendship for you and me!

Now, if it isn’t too much to ask, would you meow with all of us about how you arrived in your furrever home?

Mistletoe: I’ve been in my furrever home for a long time now.

I guess I should start at the beginning back in July of 2003. I was living outside on my own. I was very hungry all the time. So I noticed this nice older couple that fed the birds bread in their backyard. I was so hungry that I would sneak in and eat the bread, and maybe try for a crunchy bird or two.

The older couple saw me, and they weren’t very happy that I was trying to eat the birds, but instead of shooing me away they offered me food that their inside cat hadn’t eaten.

At first they thought I lived near them and was just allowed outside, because I was very fat. Lucky for me they soon realized that a cat as hungry as I was couldn’t be that fat. They realized that I was going to have babies! As soon as they realized I was eating for a family they called a local rescue group, called Paws and Claws and they put down a trap and caught me.

I was so scared. I just wanted to run away. But they took me to a local vet and gave me food and soft blankets and let me have my kittens. I had four kittens. They were all black, like me—except one, he was black with a little white on his tummy. They were very good to me at the vet, but I still was trying to take my kittens and hide. I ended up with a scar on my nose for a long time from where I tried to dig out of the cage we were in.

Once my babies were old enough, the nice ladies at the rescue found them all safe, furrever homes. They made the humans that adopted them promise to call if they ever needed to bring them back. The rescue ladies then took me to a pet groomers shop called All God’s Creatures.

There they kept all the grown up cats in a glass room during the day, while they worked on the doggies that came to get beautified. At night they would let us roam the whole shop. They would play with us and feed us after closing. I was still very scared because there were lots of bigger cats and I’m very small.

I was about 8 months old when my kittens were old enough to leave me, so I went with the grown cats, but I still felt like a kitten and I wanted to hide, so I stayed in the corner a lot.

Savannah: ahem…let me just stop you for a moment Mistletoe…(Savvy reaches over and gives Mistletoe a little comforting paw pat and lickety lick on her forehead)…I am so sad to know that you gave up your kittenhood and had to have a family so early. That is the tough life of a kitty living outside and without a Guardian to watch out for them. I’m sorry it happened to you…purrrrrr

Mistletoe: (wipes leaky eyes with paw)…thank you Savannah…I knew you would understand why this interview is hard for me…

Now while all this was happening to me, my future huMom had a dog named Puck who had to go to the groomers every six weeks to stay looking handsome. Cocker Spaniels need to be groomed to keep from getting matted. Well, I bet you can see what’s coming.

Savannah: Oh Yes!!! Oh Cod! This is gonna be great!…go on…

Mistletoe: Yes! Puck went to All God’s Creatures for his grooming! One day when a lady was picking up Puck, she saw me in the corner and asked the lady that owns the shop, about me. She told her what she could and the lady left with Puck. Then Puck’s huMom came back.

She held me for a while, but I just wanted to get away from her. The lady holding me asked if she could bring me back if it didn’t work out, but the shop owner knew my huMom and knew that once I left with her I’d never come back, unless I needed grooming!!! So the two ladies took me in a car to what became my new home!

Savannah: Oh Mistletoe, how wonderful!!…can you meow a bit more about some of the hardest stuff you have had to learn to help you trust your huMom and other humans and, shudder, dogs and cats who live with you?

Mistletoe: Once I got there I was very scared. There were dogs, Puck and another dog named Rad.

I hid under the bed for a long time. My huMom worried that I was going to stay there forever, but it was really about 9 days. She used to lie on the bed and talk to me. She knew I could hear her even if she wasn’t sure I’d ever come out. Very slowly I started to like my huMom. I liked to lie on her chest, with my head under her chin. If she moved I would run and hide.

Then one day, when my huMom was using the people litter box I came in and used my box too. Then I went to her and waited to be praised. She told me I was a good kitty and started to pet me, so I ran and hid under the bed again. But that was the start.

Savannah: Can meow some more detail about the ways you and your Mom worked together to help get you start showing more and more of your REAL SELF?

Mistletoe: Meowwwww…Once I trusted huMom enough to come out and let her hold me, she would carry me around with her so I could get used to the house.

Then one day she went to let the dogs in the backdoor. I was never afraid of the dogs, but when she opened the door I screamed and scratched. She loosened her hold and I ran as fast as I could and hid under the bed. I was so afraid she would put me outside again. I never want to go outside again. There are too many dangers out there. It’s bad for kitties to be outside.

After that, huMom was very careful to not scare me by going to the door. She just puts me down and answers the door. I’m lucky that she learns pretty fast. I also don’t like having my belly or my paws touched.

Savannah: So, are there things that you do now that you couldn’t or wouldn’t do before you and your huMom worked on your struggles…?

Mistletoe: Now she can clip my nails without me getting upset. I don’t really like it, but I don’t hide before or after, I just tell her what I think about it.

Today I go all over the house and I tell the other cats what to do. My huMom’s family liked me so much that, after the dogs Puck and Rad went to the bridge they eventually all got kitties

Now I’m the boss of Tiger and Pumpkin, they are the Ginger cat twins. And Hitch…now Savannah, Hitch is another cat you have to meow with sometime…his rescue story is pretty good.

…here are a couple more of the twin ginger boys…Tiger…

…and Pumpkin…

Hitch thinks he can be the boss, but I make sure he knows that he is mistaken. Someday you should ask for his story. He’s a pain, but he sure was smart to hitch a ride to our furrever home!

…and here is Mr Hitch trying to give Mistletoe the stinky eye I think!…MOL!…

My huMom always tries to play with the boy cats before bed every night, usually with Da Bird. Then she might play with me in the bedroom with the feather. I don’t like to play when the boy cats do.

Last month she was playing with the boys when all of a sudden, out of the dark, I jumped up and snagged that Da Bird. I chased and jumped and then I caught it and I showed those silly boy cats exactly how you kill da bird. Now I come and play every night. My huMom is still so happy when I join in. She can’t wait to see what I’ll do next. I think this was possible because huMom discovered this stuff called the Spirit of Essence…just a thought Savvy for other adult rescue cats.

Savannah: 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?

Mistletoe: The most important thing is time. I know that isn’t much help, but there is no magic cure. The only way to build trust is day by day, little by little.

Being consistent and trying to speak quietly and move slowly helps. Teach any children or young people in your house that they have to give the new kitty space. This isn’t a kitten that is able to play without worry. Your adult cat has been through something, even if he/she went from a home to a shelter, they’ve had their trust in us damaged.

So it’s important to remember that you’re not just caring for a cat, you’re building a lifelong relationship with a family member.

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

Mistletoe: Just don’t give up. Celebrate every little step forward. Just like a physical wound, emotional wounds take time. We all carry them, but helping your cat can help you heal your own wounds. Sometimes while you’re being patient and taking your time with helping your cat, you’ll find that your own wounds have started to heal. Adult rescue cats have so much to teach us, we just have to be open to the lesson they have to teach.

Savannah: I know you need to get back home Mistletoe, you came a long way for this interview…all the way from Bucks County in Pennsylvania. I am so relieved to know that you and your huFamily and your fur family were OK when the introoder Sandy came by. Why don’t you hop into my Leopard Fast Teleport Tunnel to get home before it gets dark.

…whooooosh…Ok…Mistletoe is off for home. Please if you have time, let her know you appreciated her sharing her rescue story. Her huMom, Miss Dorothy can be emailed at ‘dorothyabernathy at msn dot com’

Miss Dorothy is the human who asked me to look into the practice of devocalization of cats and dogs and consider it for one of my posts. I know it was hard to read about and think about, but Miss Dorothy is a part of our paw blog family even if she can’t help Mistletoe do her own blog right now, she does help Mistletoe stay in touch with lots of us.

Have a great rest of your day, Paw pats, Savannah