Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => Our cats stories => Topic started by: Alex S on November 02, 2010, 00:08:40 AM
-
Hi all,
i've been on the message board a month or so now but i'm twiddling my thumbs and want to show off our new(ish) furry flatmate and share her story.
We got her in july from battersea, a terrified and painfully shy little 2 year old tabby and really wondered what we'd got ourselves into after she hid from us for weeks in the bottom of a shelving unit between some poster tubes and my girlfriend's washbag, it was so hard to see how she could possibly get more confident but eventually we let her (and she moved) into the living room and the underneath of the sofa became her new spot. She'd venture out for dinner, gradually going further and further from safety, but the breakthrough was when we found out how much she likes turkey. Coaxing her out became easy and she eventually got much more comfortable around us, now, four months on she is better than we ever though she would be. She'll happily wander around the flat with us as long as we don't move too fast, she ALWAYS jumps up on her hind legs to headbutt us while we make her dinner and now routinely follows the last one into the bedroom where she'll have a good nap in the corner before waking us up bombing up and down the hall at 4.30am.
Have to say message boards like this have been fantastic, i doubt it would have gone so smoothly without people's help and i'm so over the moon that we got her and although she's still miles away from being a lap cat i have a sneaking suspicion we might have a closet one on our hands... Thanks all, hope someone reading this decides to pick the shy little furry ball curled up in their carrier when the go down to the rescue cos they turn out brilliant!
p.s enjoy the pics:
-
oops, only one there... enjoy the rest of the pics!!!
-
Thanks all, hope someone reading this decides to pick the shy little furry ball curled up in their carrier when the go down to the rescue cos they turn out brilliant!
Made my eyes go all moist that did :hug:
She's absolutely beautiful and so lucky to have found someone to give her the time and patience to be herself :)
-
Thanks all, hope someone reading this decides to pick the shy little furry ball curled up in their carrier when the go down to the rescue cos they turn out brilliant!
Made my eyes go all moist that did :hug:
She's absolutely beautiful and so lucky to have found someone to give her the time and patience to be herself :)
thank you! think i might actually be slightly gutted once she's found her natural personality, i love how she does something new every day that she was too scared to do the day before (like sitting on the ceiling according to one of those pics... sorry!) she's become quite the little talker in the last day or so, showing off the mouse she "killed" or trying her luck for a little snack!
-
She's lovely,isn't it great when you know that they are learning to trust you? :Luv:
-
I'm so glad Sadie's improving and it was just a matter of time.
Our shy cat Bass is improving too - like Sadie, a little bit every day. They make us work hard don't they? :) But I think it's more rewarding when a shy cat learns to trust you than if you'd just got a soppy lap cat from the start.
Anyway, now she's doing so well you can turn your mind to other things - like learning how to rotate your photographs before posting them! :evillaugh: (Sorry, but I twisted my neck trying to look at them!)
-
I'm so glad Sadie's improving and it was just a matter of time.
Our shy cat Bass is improving too - like Sadie, a little bit every day. They make us work hard don't they? :) But I think it's more rewarding when a shy cat learns to trust you than if you'd just got a soppy lap cat from the start.
Anyway, now she's doing so well you can turn your mind to other things - like learning how to rotate your photographs before posting them! :evillaugh: (Sorry, but I twisted my neck trying to look at them!)
haha they were fine on my desktop, i have no idea what happened, worrying considering my profession is as a designer on a weekly magazine, this stuff should never happen to me!
-
she is so pretty - I love the tummy shot! don't worry about the pics, I've been around years and other people still post mine for me lol!
-
Awww shes lovely. It is amazing to see them grow into a confident cat
love
Tab
-
Sadie is beautiful :Luv: :Luv:
You guys are doing brilliantly with her, letting her find her confidence in her own time, and she's clearly blossoming :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
-
She is beautiful :) Our Pepsi was the same, at the rescue she was cowering underneath a little swing bed and the lady showing me around almost forgot that she was there as she never came out. When we got her home she dived straight into the tiniest space on the bookcase, and then behind the sofa too! She's been with us almost a year now and she's the snuggliest cuddliest cat, in fact she's curled up on my arm purring away right now :Luv: I'm so glad we got her too, it is lovely to see them slowly coming out of their shells and Pepsi is still trusting us more and more, only recently has she let us pick her up and cradle her and been fully relaxed, she even stretches her paws right out so we can give her chin tickles :)
-
OH MY GOD! Just had another HUGE first! She has been sat on a chair under the dining table sleeping all evening, for the last 10 mins i've been sitting on the end of the sofa on the laptop, suddenly she lets out a little chirrup followed by the cutest meow, jumps down from her chair, walks over to the arm of the sofa, jumps up onto it then jumps over my lap to the other side of the sofa and squirms about purring so hard it sounds like she's snoring then squirms about for a tummy rub!
Chuffed doesn't even come close, if i knew it wouldn't terrify her i'd jump up and down right now!
-
;D
-
Oh Alex I'm so pleased she is coming out of her shell and getting more confident and affectionate day by day. She's a gorgeous little thing and she obviously wants to show you how much she appreciates you picking her. She was probably holding back until she knew this really was going to be her forever home.
One tip i've always found very good for "bonding" with any kitty is to get down to their level. Yes that means on your hands and knees on the floor ... you will be less threatening if you make yourself smaller and she will probably want to come over and give you a face rub that way ;)
Keep doing what you are doingit is obviously working and I'm sure in no time you will have yourself a lap cat.
Another good way to get a cat to sit on / near you is to turn the heating off .... cats are heat magnets and if they think they can steal some heat by sitting on you ... they will! :rofl: I always no the minute the central heating clicks off in the evening cuz I am suddenly VERY popular with my lot! ;)
-
:Luv: Awww she is lovely and I'm so glad you've given her a chance. You may even find she'll turn out to be extremely affectionate over time, I've known that happen :)
-
Aw, Alex - Sadie :Luv: you!
-
so true about the heating, my bengal only sits on me when she is cold!
-
She is beautiful :)
Our rescue cat Anna was the same.. she would hide all the time and skulk out only when she needed her tray or her food. But in time she became more trusting of us and slowly started to come out, eventually to the point of even sleeping on the bed with us :)
When we got her the woman in the cat shelter told us she was with an elderly woman who suffered from dementia and so the cat was somewhat mistreated... the elderly woman obviously didnt realise she was doin it.
Im glad Sadie has a loving home to spend the rest of her life in!
-
thanks everyone! she's spent the day sprawled under the sofa, don't think she's thrilled to have me home during the day all week when she would have the house to herself!
-
After yesterday's moodyness she's just climbed up on the sofa next to me again! She's currently purring away and giving my hand a good clean!
-
What a Doll :wow: :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
-
wow shes beautiful, and ur obviously doing a great job with her, been considering getting a rescue cat at some point, but currently my cats only 1yr old so will have to wait awhile. must be great now for u seeing your love and patience is paying off
-
thanks everyone for being so nice!
we're currently working on getting her more comfortable with being picked up, so far it's going very well, she can take a good few seconds being held before she struggles but no longer runs away when she's put down afterwards, just hangs about for a few strokes!
-
She is lovely, My 2 are about 20 months old and we've had them for about 14 months, Poppy is very affectionate loves a cuddle and a tickle on the tum. Proper little flirt.
Charlie was always the chatty cat but since we've moved Poppy has learnt new words, some of them swear words. :rofl:
Charlie is much shier and loves me most,lol, his Dad and sister. He still hides when people come in, but he doesn't go right under the bed now just in the drawers, thats a breakthrough for him, and sometimes he ventures into the hall
He slept on me this morning in bed which is verrry rare. He has come out of his shell so much though and we still have new things happening with both of them all the time. Enjoy your new girly and rest assured she will keep on changing.
-
what a sweetie x