Sunrise
Dear Readers, I’ve had my latest foster kitties, Sunrise and Pudding, for a few weeks now, and I’m delighted to report that they’re settling in very nicely. They’re two three year-old girls, and, from being extremely timid, they’re now ruling the roost as cats so often do.
Sunrise, the tortoiseshell, is the most confident of two, but both of them are now endlessly curious. During the week I arrived home to find a loaf of crusty bread knocked off of the worksurface, the paper torn off and one end slightly gnawed. I have no idea which of the miscreants was responsible.
Pudding –
Then yesterday, we heard some rustling in the corridor, which we foolishly ignored. When we eventually went to investigate, it turned out that the cats had broken into the shopping bags full of food for the food bank. We foolishly assumed that because there was no meat or fish, it would be safe, but one/both of the cats had eaten through three layers of cardboard and wrapping to be almost through to the mince pies. Who knew that cats like mince pies? Maybe it’s the suet. Anyhow, we rescued the mince pies before any harm was done, though clearly we’ll have to eat them now (such a hardship).
Both Pudding and Sunrise are, as you might have guessed, obsessed with food, to a greater extent than any cats that I’ve ever dealt with (and these will be my 80th and 81st foster cats respectively. I know little about where they came from, but my guess is that that wherever it was, they weren’t fed regularly, and so have become very anxious about food. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel – for the past few days they’ve been leaving a little bit of dry food in their dishes for a few hours, rather than hoovering everything up within minutes of it being put down. I hope that as they become more relaxed, they’ll start to trust that food will be available regularly. They’ve started to play and sleep downstairs, a sign that they’re starting to feel at home, so fingers crossed.
If you or anyone you know wants to find out more about the girls, and if you live in London and have a garden, have a look here.
I had a rescue dog (my one foster fail!)who was very food anxious. It took some time of making sure he always had food available before he began to trust that he didn’t have to wolf down food or growl at anybody who came close to his bowl. It is so very rewarding to see animals heal from trauma, even if they never fully get past it. I loved fostering.
Well done and how lovely for them to have you! Such lovely things you do.