Well, it didn't take baby Fonzie long to fit in at Sally's Cat House! After some much needed TLC with vet care, baths, and regular nutritious food, what was once a scruffy, neglected little kitten became a healthy, handsome prince of a fellow that was loved by everyone, and most especially Daddy! Yes, in a house full of "his" and "hers" there was finally an "ours" - our baby Fonzie! In fact, Daddy carried baby Fonzie so much that I feared the poor kitty would forget how to walk! Well, that was CERTAINLY not the case because Fonzie quickly learned that no place was off limits, and especially not the outdoor enclosure, which he quickly discovered by watching the others go in and out. Now Fonzie is our little "good will ambassador," going into and out of the rooms of the segregated cats to make sure that everyone feels loved and included! We truly wonder how we could have had any "happy days" before Fonzie arrived!
And the next arrival to Sally's Cat House was Sweet Pea! Most cat rescuers can attest to what happens when others know that you rescue cats - MORE CATS! Well, Sweet Pea made her entrance into Sally's Cat House in December of 2006. She was spending her days living behind an allergy clinic and being fed on the down low when one of the doctors got wise and didn't think it appropriate to have a cat as an allergy clinic mascot. Imagine that! A long-time family friend who worked at the clinic and had recently seen our Web site knew JUST who to call to find a home for this little sweetie! In their kindness, those who had been caring for her took up a nice little collection for her vet bill and sent them both on their way!
When Sweetie first arrived the only room in the house not occupied by a cat was the bathroom and it was the only place to quarantine her initially! Well, that was just fine for this girl, who had not been spayed and also, because of a lingering foot injury, was in no mood to become acquainted with 14 other cats! Well, as the weeks passed her foot attempted to heal, though with a chronic low grade fever she was still in no condition for a spay. Well . . . one night her behavior seemed a bit odd to me and thinking that she was ill, I quickly took her to an all night emergency vet. My mistake. Having never had a full grown, unspayed female in my home, what I assumed was illness was a cat in heat! And yes, I was a laughing stock at the vet that night!
The months passed, her foot healed, and Sweetie was finally spayed. Then came the day to leave the bathroom door open. Though Sweetie had previously seemed in no rush to venture out and join the others, when the door was opened we realized that she was terrified of other cats, probably because one had caused her foot injury many months before. She would swat and hiss at any cat that came near and of course, it didn't take her long to gain a nasty reputation with them. That is, all except little Fonzie, who in his typical fashion quickly became her ally and confidant. She has since calmed somewhat and has become the most vocal of our cats, so much so that her name should have been Cathy (Okay, now I'm giving away my age)! However, she continues to be the target of some of the others' wrath and she is becoming more and more reluctant to leave the bathroom. She basically lives in fear of the others now and doesn't have much of a life in my bathroom, though no amount of wild horses it seems is going to get her out of there. Since that is where she is most comfortable we are trying to make her bathroom home as comfortable as possible and spend time with her each day. Thankfully it's a fairly large bathroom and she also has a Habikat to spend time in for a view of the outside world. As long as she seems content there, we're doing everything we can to keep her.
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