Sylvia

So Skip was off to greener pastures and by now I can only assume you've noticed a pattern: Ryan once again demanded we take a break from fostering. So I took in a cat. Obvious choice here - the shelter in a small town outside of London was going to have to put down a bunch of perfectly good cats after a cat rescue decided they weren't going to take cats from that particular shelter any more. That's right! A still functioning cat rescue decided not to rescue these particular cats basically because it was too much of a hassle. They didn't implore other rescues to help out or to my knowledge do any shout outs for new foster homes just pulled out from that shelter leaving these cats to pay the price. So the DOG rescue whom I worked with decided they had to do something and looked far and wide for new homes for these cats. I decided to help out. And besides, it was a cat, not a dog! Our break was from fostering more dogs after all! Oh how I've come to enjoy loopholes. 

The cat we were going to take on was already in a home. The family had went to rescue her since her time was due, but was unable to care for her long term. We went to get her (Ryan was begrudgingly on board after a bit of truth stretching to make the situation sound more desperate) from this cute apartment that had been carved out of a huge old century home. The couple who rescued her let me know before leaving that they had been calling her Lucy which, she added with a giggle, stood for Lucifer. Great. 

She was a beautiful cat, but maybe I'm a little biased since I've always loved that greyish-blue colour in animals. She had longish fluffy hair with very subtle stripes. Her bright green eyes looked like she hired a make up artist to get the eye liner on so perfectly. She was also tiny. Her hair made her look a lot bigger but I swear the first time I picked her up I almost threw her across the room. I was told she was doggie friendly but  she wanted nothing to do with Callie. A few times I had mini panic attacks thinking I'd lost her after scouring the apartment - and the apartment wasn't that big. I'd find her smushed between an end table and the wall or her favourite spot between the wall and a cork board we had leaning against the wall. 

I liked her just fine, but she had her moments. She would SCREAM for her food. Meow Meow Meow until I'd give her some. She would just gobble it down no matter how much she got so I couldn't free-feed her. I started to just give her little bits throughout the day to keep her belly in check, and to stop her whining. And then of course Callie was pissed seeing how the cat was being fed so much and she was only getting it twice a day so I had to make sure she got a treat each time. Speaking of Callie, soon Syl stopped hiding so much, which was nice, but then decided to beat the crap out of Cal instead. Callie wasn't intrusive. After the first few smells she was happily ignoring the cat. Sylvie on the other hand decided this wasn't good enough. All it took  was for Cal to walk by the spot she was laying and *Wack wack wack* out would come the claws. Cal started to just avoid her at all costs, which kind of sucked considering I loved our mommy/doggie cuddle times that were now impossible with the kitty as my shadow. 

I was worried that we'd have her for a long time. I knew cats didn't tend to get adopted as fast as the dogs and her attack cat persona and meowing was eating away at my nerves. The meowing was getting better with a little work but the Callie was now resorting to pouting in the corner alone. Finally a woman came to meet her and ended up taking her home later that night. Soon after we took a trip back home and Callie ended up getting chased out of my families hay loft by a couple members of a feral cat population we take care of. After that we decided cats were a no go for the time being. I do think Cal needs some good experiences so I think we'll try fostering a young kitten sometime soon. Full grown cats still kind of freak her out so we have to start her off small. 

A lot of the cats that came to the rescue are still actually looking for homes - and this is almost two years later. If your looking, or no someone who is, please visit http://members.petfinder.com/~ON229/MAIN.html I  recommend Paco. I scammed my friend into fostering him for a bit before she moved into her new place and he was pretty great. He needs someone whose going to be around, or maybe some furry buddies to cuddle with. A huge cuddle monster. I once heard someone say "Every dog needs a cat" and I totally agree. Unless you have a total monster on your hands that beats the crap out of your wussy dog.