Friday Cat Blogging
Meet Gumdrop. She was named for her little "gumdrop nose".
I was asked to foster this kitten named Gumdrop. A sweet Calico rescued from the projects whose fate would have likely been “Pit Bull bait” for training dogs to fight.
When she came to my home for fostering, she had serious abuse issues. This was evident in her behavior. She would retreat to under my bed at the sound of any loud or unfamiliar noise. The worse part was when another cat would try to in interact with her--she would actually spontaneously crap. She would, what I would term, have “spontaneous butt explosions”. The rescue organization director told me that this behavior is a symptom of abuse that is typically seen. The cat is apparently so terrified it no longer can control its bodily functions. Anyone who has owned cats knows that they are extremely clean creatures and as a rule are very picky about when and where they eliminate. Cats prefer to be in control of their bodily functions. They have to be scared to lose that type of control.
For 3-4 days, I had a kitten living under my bed with butt explosions. Not a lot of fun. Even though the butt explosions were a solid matter, it was not fun cleaning and smelling the butt explosions whenever she got frightened. If another cat so much as hissed at her, her butt would “explode”. The only upside was that since cats usually only pass stool once a day, her butt explosions were limited to once a day. But her body rhythms dictated passing stool in the morning, so I could usually count on waking up to a butt explosion or her having one as I was in the process of getting ready in the morning. Not something I enjoyed adding to my morning routine.
However, providing her with a safe a quiet home environment has done wonders for her. She no longer has any butt explosions (it has been over a week since her last butt explosion). She has stopped living under the bed and spends her time in one of the windows or sleeping on the bed. She now actually initiates play with the adult cats and the other kitten I am fostering. She bounces around the house like a very normal happy kitten.
Whatever abuse issues she had, she has gotten over it. She is friendly, curious, playful, and sweet. She will make a really wonderful cat for whoever adopts her. She loves to play and tap my legs when I walk by—very bold considering the frightened kitten she used to be. The way she acts now, one would never guess she had a terrible past.
I believe that she has blossomed into a sweet wonderful creature because I provided for her a safe, quiet, and nurturing environment for her to recover-- this is why I choose to foster cats for a rescue organization. I can’t save and help all the abused animals in the world. But I am able to make a difference in one at a time.
(picture taken by an one of the rescue organization volunteers)
I was asked to foster this kitten named Gumdrop. A sweet Calico rescued from the projects whose fate would have likely been “Pit Bull bait” for training dogs to fight.
When she came to my home for fostering, she had serious abuse issues. This was evident in her behavior. She would retreat to under my bed at the sound of any loud or unfamiliar noise. The worse part was when another cat would try to in interact with her--she would actually spontaneously crap. She would, what I would term, have “spontaneous butt explosions”. The rescue organization director told me that this behavior is a symptom of abuse that is typically seen. The cat is apparently so terrified it no longer can control its bodily functions. Anyone who has owned cats knows that they are extremely clean creatures and as a rule are very picky about when and where they eliminate. Cats prefer to be in control of their bodily functions. They have to be scared to lose that type of control.
For 3-4 days, I had a kitten living under my bed with butt explosions. Not a lot of fun. Even though the butt explosions were a solid matter, it was not fun cleaning and smelling the butt explosions whenever she got frightened. If another cat so much as hissed at her, her butt would “explode”. The only upside was that since cats usually only pass stool once a day, her butt explosions were limited to once a day. But her body rhythms dictated passing stool in the morning, so I could usually count on waking up to a butt explosion or her having one as I was in the process of getting ready in the morning. Not something I enjoyed adding to my morning routine.
However, providing her with a safe a quiet home environment has done wonders for her. She no longer has any butt explosions (it has been over a week since her last butt explosion). She has stopped living under the bed and spends her time in one of the windows or sleeping on the bed. She now actually initiates play with the adult cats and the other kitten I am fostering. She bounces around the house like a very normal happy kitten.
Whatever abuse issues she had, she has gotten over it. She is friendly, curious, playful, and sweet. She will make a really wonderful cat for whoever adopts her. She loves to play and tap my legs when I walk by—very bold considering the frightened kitten she used to be. The way she acts now, one would never guess she had a terrible past.
I believe that she has blossomed into a sweet wonderful creature because I provided for her a safe, quiet, and nurturing environment for her to recover-- this is why I choose to foster cats for a rescue organization. I can’t save and help all the abused animals in the world. But I am able to make a difference in one at a time.
(picture taken by an one of the rescue organization volunteers)
posted by Katie at 1:47 AM
2 Comments:
Oh, my, butt explosions... How horrible. Amazing how quickly Gumdrop bounced back from her abuse, though. A little TLC can go such a long way in restoring even a cat's broken spirit. Good for you, Katie!!!
(How old is Gumdrop?)
Yes, I too am amazed how quickly she recovered from her abuse. It is so rewarding seeing her spirit mended.
I think Gumdrop is about 4 months--maybe less.
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