Cat fostering: Sophie
Since my cat Zad died last fall, I've done some cat fostering. People are definitely odd about animals - that much I've discovered, and might write more about that later. Several cats have passed through here, a few weeks here, a few weeks there, and one occasion when a cat spent a single day with me.
Current foster Sophie has been here since April so she's turning into a long-term project. She wasn't feral, but had had a rough life for awhile, gave birth outdoors, then was rescued and passed from one household to another for various reasons. When she got here she was a nervous wreck and hid behind my stove for a week. Part of my deal has been to calm her down and make her more adoptable. On the whole it's been working - she's playful and relaxed and can be quite affectionate - but there are some bugs left and probably not ones I can fix.
Sophie is also an addict. I never gave my own cats commercial treats - it never crossed my mind - but various cats have come here with supplies including packets of Whiskas Temptations. So I gave Sophie some. I don't know what crack they put in those things. Sophie eats high-quality kibble (Acana Wild Prairie), shows zero interest in anything I eat (including things like tuna, sardines, grilled chicken and salmon), but she would trample her own spawn to get her paws on a few chicken-flavour Temptations treats. Microcosm of supernormal stimuli, right there.
Sophie is FIV+ and doesn't go outside, so I put the Ikea Bekvam step stool in the back window to give her a vantage point on the tiny yard. She's decided that's where she gets treats, and if I enter the kitchen she'll often leap on top and look at me expectantly. She also objects to my leaving the room without giving her a treat. She'll chase after me and claw at my departing calves: a quick stab and then I'm bleeding. So I've been keeping her claws trimmed - she lets me, if she gets treats throughout - and it's been amusing to feel a slap from her soft paw as she does the "last touch" thing as I leave a room.
That was till this week when I felt the paw, but then she bit me! A quick tooth-jab on the calf and a surprising amount of blood. Luckily, people can't catch FIV. But Sophie can't be getting treats every time I need to move around the house. She isn't fat, but she's not thin either. I suspect a vet would recommend she lose a pound or two. Some other solution has to be found.
Sophie is not incorrigible. I've stopped her nipping at me randomly, for the most part. But then the other day I stepped over to her window lookout, where she was purring and being perfectly fine with me when another cat moved into view outside. I probably should've realized that Sophie's response would be immediate - she struck, and bit me hard at the base of the thumb. It was not about me, but it hurt nonetheless. Sophie is no joke when it comes to attacks: she's young, fast, strong. FIV has not affected her yet. You'd never guess this was a cat with a compromised immune system.
So this is definitely not the cat I would choose for the long haul. There's some chance one of the previous folks who had Sophie, and loved her, will be in a position to take her back for good. I'll be more happy than sad if that comes about. But if that person doesn't act, I'm not sure what happens next. The foster group needs people who'll look after adoptable cats temporarily while permanent homes are found, but in summer it's all about the kittens, and few people voluntary embark on adopting an adult cat with a chronic health issue and an uncertain temper. So I'm not sure how this will play out.
Current foster Sophie has been here since April so she's turning into a long-term project. She wasn't feral, but had had a rough life for awhile, gave birth outdoors, then was rescued and passed from one household to another for various reasons. When she got here she was a nervous wreck and hid behind my stove for a week. Part of my deal has been to calm her down and make her more adoptable. On the whole it's been working - she's playful and relaxed and can be quite affectionate - but there are some bugs left and probably not ones I can fix.
Sophie is also an addict. I never gave my own cats commercial treats - it never crossed my mind - but various cats have come here with supplies including packets of Whiskas Temptations. So I gave Sophie some. I don't know what crack they put in those things. Sophie eats high-quality kibble (Acana Wild Prairie), shows zero interest in anything I eat (including things like tuna, sardines, grilled chicken and salmon), but she would trample her own spawn to get her paws on a few chicken-flavour Temptations treats. Microcosm of supernormal stimuli, right there.
Sophie is FIV+ and doesn't go outside, so I put the Ikea Bekvam step stool in the back window to give her a vantage point on the tiny yard. She's decided that's where she gets treats, and if I enter the kitchen she'll often leap on top and look at me expectantly. She also objects to my leaving the room without giving her a treat. She'll chase after me and claw at my departing calves: a quick stab and then I'm bleeding. So I've been keeping her claws trimmed - she lets me, if she gets treats throughout - and it's been amusing to feel a slap from her soft paw as she does the "last touch" thing as I leave a room.
That was till this week when I felt the paw, but then she bit me! A quick tooth-jab on the calf and a surprising amount of blood. Luckily, people can't catch FIV. But Sophie can't be getting treats every time I need to move around the house. She isn't fat, but she's not thin either. I suspect a vet would recommend she lose a pound or two. Some other solution has to be found.
Sophie is not incorrigible. I've stopped her nipping at me randomly, for the most part. But then the other day I stepped over to her window lookout, where she was purring and being perfectly fine with me when another cat moved into view outside. I probably should've realized that Sophie's response would be immediate - she struck, and bit me hard at the base of the thumb. It was not about me, but it hurt nonetheless. Sophie is no joke when it comes to attacks: she's young, fast, strong. FIV has not affected her yet. You'd never guess this was a cat with a compromised immune system.
So this is definitely not the cat I would choose for the long haul. There's some chance one of the previous folks who had Sophie, and loved her, will be in a position to take her back for good. I'll be more happy than sad if that comes about. But if that person doesn't act, I'm not sure what happens next. The foster group needs people who'll look after adoptable cats temporarily while permanent homes are found, but in summer it's all about the kittens, and few people voluntary embark on adopting an adult cat with a chronic health issue and an uncertain temper. So I'm not sure how this will play out.