LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEWS WITH SAVANNAH…
Hiya! Savannah Here!
And I am back again with my next Life Changing Interview…this time with a CAT!
Can you guess who???…go on…try…????
OK, you keep thinking about it and I’ll get started…
First, I like to repeat this tiny reminder of why I am doing this feature on my blog…and just in case someone new comes for a visit:
“I want to share other rescue cats’ and dogs’ recovery stories to spread our learning about the challenges we face and the joy our Guardians get to experience as they help us into, and through, recovery…(recovery meaning we show as much as we can of our REAL SELF).”
Say What??…Oh? You are wondering why I have on a beret with WLF on it. Well, I am here talking to you in my #WLF official beret…”Whiskas Liberation Front”…because I wanted to honor my next guest. For those who don’t use Twitter, you can go here to learn more about it.
My next guest is a British Cat…very brave and courageous…and if he was allowed a Twitter account, I am sure he would immediately earn his #WLF Beret!…
Please give a warm welcome to ARCHIE!!!
APAWS!!…APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!
Archie, from My Three Moggies, is one of my first furriends when I started look’in for blogs to follow…lucky me! I found them.
So, here we go….
Savannah: Hi Archie! Thanks so much for hopping over to my blog for this interview; I know the time change is hard on a traveling cat!
Would you share with all of us how you arrived in your furrever home?
Archie: I was in a bad way. My beautiful fur was all matted and messy, chunks ripped out of it. My ear was bright red and my nose looked horrible, with a big scar on it. I didn’t know where I was, but there was a big sign that said ‘hospital’ on it. I didn’t even know what that meant. The humans there were really nice, the ones in the blue uniforms. They gave me scraps of food and sometimes even a stroke or two. But it wasn’t like having a home.
I used to have a big bed and warmth and lots and lots of food. Then, suddenly, I was abandoned, out on the streets. A house cat forced to brave the elements. It was hard on the streets. One time I got in a fight with a feral cat. A big Tom who said I was on his territory. He gave me a long scratch across my nose and tore out lots of my fur.
I did lots of sun bathing at first, but then it rained a lot too and I got very wet. And I was very lonely. It was always cold and I’m not good at hunting. I was a home cat for too long. I needed to be loved and looked after.
Then one day I went over to talk to the ladies in the blue uniforms. I thought they would all make good Mums. But a strange man was with them. He had the letters R-S-P-C-A on his jacket. I didn’t know what that meant, but he seemed to want to meet me. Next thing I knew I had been caught up in a cage and carried away. It still makes my fur crawl to think about it today!
Savannah: …shudder…Oh My Cat!!! Archie! What a terrible life that must have been! What happened when the RSPCA Jacket Man got you???…holding breath…eager for Archie’s next meows…
Archie: I was taken to a place where there were hundreds of cats; big ones, little ones, skinny ones and fat ones; black, white, ginger, grey and tabby. The conversation wasn’t much as most of them were kittens. Not much fun for a connoisseur like me! But it was warm and dry, and there was regular food.
People would turn up and take the kittens away, but with my bad ear and scar on my nose, no-one seemed to notice me. I did get quite grumpy at the time. And they called me Mr. Chips as well, which is the worst name ever!
I even lost half an ear because I had cancer (you can see I am mostly a white cat and we shouldn’t be out in the sun because we sunburn and can get skin cancer), but then one day—after I had been there for about seven weeks—I met a really loud Irish kitty calling himself Engine Joe. And he liked to whack my tail. He was caged up with a little baby called Henry, and he had the biggest mouth in the whole place. I used to tell them lots of stories about the humans and how they would look after you, feed you, let you sit on their laps and give you big beds to sleep on!
But all Joe did was whack my tail. When two more humans turned up I didn’t pay much attention, but Engine Joe and Henry rushed over to say hello. Joe was screaming: “Meow! Meow! Hello! Meow! Yeah, you like me, meow! I’m a purrrrr-fect puss!”. “Hey, watch this! Whack, whack… whack! I got Mr. Chips’ tail… heh, heh!”
And suddenly the humans were moving their cage—and then mine too…Turns out Mum and Dad—as I call them now—have wanted two kittens, but after Engine Joe (soon renamed Oscar) attacked my tail and Mum realised how long I had been in the home they decided I needed a new home too!
Savannah: PHEW! What a relief!!…wringing paws…worried about Archie’s predicament (VBP)…
Archie: I know! My scratches all healed up and I was soon a big handsome beast again—with two new brothers and two new slaves to boss around.
Savannah: Archie, think about it for sec, then tell us what you think has been your greatest obstacle to get over in learning to trust and depend on your Guardians slaves?
Archie: At first I didn’t trust them at all. The kittens didn’t know any better and they just went mad, running round and causing all sorts of mayhem…But experience is sometimes a bad thing, and at that point most of mine had been bad. So I hid in a big fluffy house that the humans had got me and ran away from everyone.
Savannah: What did your new slaves do that really won you over…making you willing to start showing them your Real Self??
Archie: Food, of course. A cat likes to eat—breakfast, lunch, dinner, first treat, second treat, bonus chicken, milk, extra milk, a few spare biscuits. I was a bit chubby for a while back then, but it’s true what they say—the way to a cat’s heart is through his stomach!
Oh, and love of course. And there was lots of it from Mum. She gave me strokes, pats, and cuddles, pick-ups—even when I didn’t really want it because I was too grumpy or too scared. Even when I ran away or scratched her, Mum would come back with more hugs.
This is me starting to go on Mum’s lap whilst she played with kittens…
And how can a cat say no to that for long? It was just what I dreamed of in the dark days at the hospital. So quickly I went from scaredy cat to lap cat, and over the years the scratching stopped quickly and I became the big, soft Bagpuss I am today.
Thanks Mum xoxo
Savannah: Awww, Archie…you must have been so surprised to have a human treat you on your terms but also keep coming back even when you kind’a gave her a whack or two. Your Mum knew you were just scared…sigh…wipes eyes with paws…just a minute Archie…lemme get something to blow my nose…goes off to wipe nose on Mom’s clean bed pillow…ok…let’s continue…
Meow a little about some of the ways you and your Guardians slaves worked together to help get you into your recovery and try to overcome some of your obstacles?
Archie: It was just perseverance really. The humans never gave up on me—and I soon learned I was part of their family. I had my own bed, my own bowl, my own treats and my own two little terrors to train and look after. Oscar and Henry certainly helped to distract me, and I took the chance to train them so I had two accomplices in my new task of training my slaves… er, masters.
And there was playtime too. The kittens entertained themselves, but I had special time with Mum, Dad, a long bit of string and plenty of feathers. Sounds like a bad day at a drag show, but trust me, it was much more masculine than that!!
I admit, in those early days I could be trouble at times. Plenty of whacks and even more moods, but they never gave up and there was always a lap or a bed to relax on whenever I needed it.
…this is the first time we were all allowed on the bed…we make a pretty photo, huh?!…
Savannah: You most certainly do look good together on that bed Archie. And the best part is, you can always get away with getting on that white bed and blame all the furs left on Oscar and Henry! Score a big one for Archie and his white furs!! High Paws, Archie!!!
Archie: Oh yeah, one more thing… I would not leave the house the first four months and then when I did I would only do so if I knew the patio door would stay open. It took me about a year to fully accept this was my home and garden. However even now I always stay near the house and never venture over the garden (Unless in the neighbour’s every now and then with Oscar).
…this is me on one of my first visits to the garden wall…
Savannah: Now, just one last question, can you offer any advice to our peep readers to help them support their adult rescue cat, or one they may be thinkin’ about bringing into their home, through its recovery process?
Archie: Play nice. As an adult cat I was a lot shyer than the boys and I needed lots and lots and lots (and lots!) of attention. Of course, I still do now, but at first I needed it more so that I knew this was my home.
Love and attention, you can’t go far wrong there.
Savannah: Anything else you want to add Archie???
Archie: Oh, and don’t try to pretend you’re in charge. We cats are only happy once we’re in our proper position. At the top! Meow!
Savannah: Hey Archie!! You are the best! You are a brave, strong mancat who survived being dumped on the streets without street smarts! I am so lucky to have you as a furriend for sure. Is it OK if I add one more photo of you??
Archie: ummmm…sure Savvy…which one?
Savannah: Why, of course the photo of you that WON the contest Mollie and Alfie had!!
That’s a wrap! Thanks lots for stopping by. We have a great doggie interview coming up in 2 weeks, so be sure to check back for the next “Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking…Life Changing Interviews with Savannah”…it will be posted September, 12th.
Of course I am always looking for volunteer doggies and cats who want to talk about their rescue experience, just leave a comment and we can MEOW about it…
Paw pats, Savannah
Savannah's Paw Tracks 