A few years ago, I courted what I thought was a stray cat. Although it was December and she looked cold and hungry, as it turned out, she belonged to someone. A couple days before Christmas, I went to the shelter and adopted Lucy. Lucy had been seized from a house with 20 cats; I was led to believe she had issues. Lucy was the longest resident at the shelter and was not a happy cat. When we did the "meet and greet", she sat in the middle of the carrier, unresponsive and despondent - her hair felt like a wire brush. I took her home.
I soon learned she had Feline Herpes, but as it turned out, it is a mild case and easily managed. She was very skittish, and from her reaction with my hands moving near her, she had been abused. After a couple weeks under the bed, we established the bed as her sanctuary. After each feeding, she would accept some attention and loving on the bed, but she had (has) many conditioned responses to people and it was a long road to build some trust. We got there.
The vet said she was about three years old. In a house full of cats, I calculate she had between 6 and 8 litters. She has a bit of a belly pouch that sways when she runs. But she loves her belly being rubbed when she is relaxed and open to affection. In her previous situation, there was a lot of competition for the food, and after three years with me, she still approaches her food bowl cautiously, and with some trepidation.
I live in a third floor, two bedroom flat. I set up a couple window seats where she could enjoy the sunshine and watch the birds and other outside activities. Lucy is a very gentle soul and she reacts poorly to loud noise. The first summer was tough as the windows were all open and the street noise and lawnmowers and such startled her often. When she was having a bout of herpes, or was tired of the noise, she sought refuge in a closet, so I made a small bed for her in the closet, which she still uses.
Noise bothers her so much, once I was feeding her and I broke a bowl in the sink. For two weeks she would not come in the kitchen when I was there. She does not like to be picked up, or handled in any way. She never sits on my lap. The only time I handle her is to put her in a carrier to take her to the vet. I have to ambush her in order to do this, and sometimes she will not have anything to do with me for three days (barring feeding) after we're home. But she has settled into a comfortable groove.
Lucy is quite affectionate and loves attention and love, but only on her terms. When she is relaxed and open to affection, she rolls over and loves to have her belly rubbed. She gets rambunctious and runs about a bit, but I cannot play with her at all. She just will not allow any quick physical movement around her. She will not chase a laser light, and she is not really interested in boxes. But she does love the warmth of sunshine. When I come home from work, she meets me at the top of the stairs and rubs my leg while I remove my shoes.
She very rarely meows in the classic way cats do. She has a deep trill or murmur that she uses as her vocalization. Lucy loves treats (OK, I spoil her), and she has a very endearing characteristic when treats are possible. She raises her paw and looks plaintively at me when she thinks she is due some treats.
All in all, she is a most wonderful cat. I read of other cats with serious herpes or behavior problems and I realize just how lucky I am with Lucy. Sometimes she spends part of the night on the bed with me, but often some distance away. Sometimes during the night, she will come up to me and curl up beside me for pets and belly rubs. When I drift back to sleep, she touches my cheek with her paw to let me know I'm not finished.
This is both of us in a happy place.
I have only been on this board for a couple days, and I am already learning things. I look forward to being part of the community.
I soon learned she had Feline Herpes, but as it turned out, it is a mild case and easily managed. She was very skittish, and from her reaction with my hands moving near her, she had been abused. After a couple weeks under the bed, we established the bed as her sanctuary. After each feeding, she would accept some attention and loving on the bed, but she had (has) many conditioned responses to people and it was a long road to build some trust. We got there.
The vet said she was about three years old. In a house full of cats, I calculate she had between 6 and 8 litters. She has a bit of a belly pouch that sways when she runs. But she loves her belly being rubbed when she is relaxed and open to affection. In her previous situation, there was a lot of competition for the food, and after three years with me, she still approaches her food bowl cautiously, and with some trepidation.
I live in a third floor, two bedroom flat. I set up a couple window seats where she could enjoy the sunshine and watch the birds and other outside activities. Lucy is a very gentle soul and she reacts poorly to loud noise. The first summer was tough as the windows were all open and the street noise and lawnmowers and such startled her often. When she was having a bout of herpes, or was tired of the noise, she sought refuge in a closet, so I made a small bed for her in the closet, which she still uses.
Noise bothers her so much, once I was feeding her and I broke a bowl in the sink. For two weeks she would not come in the kitchen when I was there. She does not like to be picked up, or handled in any way. She never sits on my lap. The only time I handle her is to put her in a carrier to take her to the vet. I have to ambush her in order to do this, and sometimes she will not have anything to do with me for three days (barring feeding) after we're home. But she has settled into a comfortable groove.
Lucy is quite affectionate and loves attention and love, but only on her terms. When she is relaxed and open to affection, she rolls over and loves to have her belly rubbed. She gets rambunctious and runs about a bit, but I cannot play with her at all. She just will not allow any quick physical movement around her. She will not chase a laser light, and she is not really interested in boxes. But she does love the warmth of sunshine. When I come home from work, she meets me at the top of the stairs and rubs my leg while I remove my shoes.
She very rarely meows in the classic way cats do. She has a deep trill or murmur that she uses as her vocalization. Lucy loves treats (OK, I spoil her), and she has a very endearing characteristic when treats are possible. She raises her paw and looks plaintively at me when she thinks she is due some treats.
All in all, she is a most wonderful cat. I read of other cats with serious herpes or behavior problems and I realize just how lucky I am with Lucy. Sometimes she spends part of the night on the bed with me, but often some distance away. Sometimes during the night, she will come up to me and curl up beside me for pets and belly rubs. When I drift back to sleep, she touches my cheek with her paw to let me know I'm not finished.
This is both of us in a happy place.
I have only been on this board for a couple days, and I am already learning things. I look forward to being part of the community.