Sticky Cats - Kora's Story

I paid a visit to Animals in Distress yesterday, to take along some towels and food that a very kind customer had given to me (and also spent some time with Suzie who was recovering from an operation on her leg).

While there I had some great news!! Kora, who had been there for ages and ages now had a lovely home. Kora came to the sanctuary last year and was fairly quickly re-homed. However a few weeks later she was returned as she was biting. Well, she'd not bitten any of the staff or volunteers before she was homed, but cats do have teeth, so that can happen. Lots of things can make them bite, and there could be any number of triggers. They had idea what happened there, but it meant that they had to let anyone who was interested in taking her home with them know about that. That always makes it difficult to find a new home.

Also, she'd put on a lot of weight, so she was put on a strict diet, and in time (and it took a long time!) her weight reduced. Lots of people came to see her, and as she lost weight she regained her very pretty looks. But she had become rather feisty. She'd be quite happy to have people stroke her - but only until she'd had enough, and that might sometimes be only a couple of strokes - then she'd take a swipe with her paw or attempt to bite. But for all that, she really was a lovely cat.

She'd been back for months and was starting to get institutionalised. She had days where she was clearly a little depressed, but mostly she seemed to feel at home. I'd sit with her for ages, and let her come to me. She'd rub her face against my hand, but I'd take care not to stroke her. This was the way she was happy to receive human contact and affection. She was still an affectionate cat, but only on her terms. To be honest, that's very typical of many cats - just to different degrees. She had things to climb on, toys, other cats to see come and go, and plenty of the right sort of attention from staff and volunteers. It was almost as though she was the queen of the cattery.

In the end, she'd been back for over a year, and I think we were all starting to wonder whether she'd ever find a new home. Of course we all continued to hope, but sometimes it was difficult. It's fairly typical that people want to take a cat that will be affectionate, and allow stroking - it's always harder to find people who just want to take a cat and give it a good home, purely for that reason only. I'd often said I'd have been happy to take her, but there's no way Bella would ever allow another cat in this house!!

The staff have heard from her new carer since she left - she's now very affectionate, sleeps under the bed, and is settling in very well. Perhaps she was just waiting for the right person.....