Status / Details
Christmas 2019, Special Tails
Additional Info
- Learning to Trust Kitty
About Willow
We’ve always loved working with scared cats. In some ways, We can relate to their fear and know that with time, and the chance to learn the softer side of life, they can adapt and have a pretty normal life. When we picked Willow up, she was terrified of everything. Hiding, hissing; she was on high alert nearly every moment. We couldn’t blame her though; she had been through a lot in a very short period of time.
Willow came to us in late April of 2019, from a breeder who had passed away unexpectedly. She landed in a county animal shelter and they quickly realized the poor girl just could not adjust to the environment! Ragdolls are known for being emotionally sensitive and Willow was no exception. The shelter contacted PurebredsPlus and we were immediately on our way to help. We were prepared to give her plenty of attention, love, and affection, but we hadn’t considered how she would touch our heart.
We spent the first few days just being in the same room together; then she allowed us to slowly pet her. Day by day we progressed, and the fear started slowly melting away.
Willow started talking to us – more of a chirp, really, but we loved it. The path to trust wasn’t all roses, though. We had some bad days where her limits would be overstepped. We quickly learned the things that really scared her and consciously avoided them. Those things could wait until she knew us better.
Eventually, those fears subsided too and one day she suddenly crawled into a lap! That just melted our hearts. The beautiful, cream-colored lynx point girl with the flowing silky coat and piercing blue eyes trusted us! She was still cautious but began to play, talk to us, touching noses with a dog, even showing an interest in the other foster kittens in the home.
Willow was still a little nervous when there were multiple kitties around, but we noticed she took a particular interest in one kitten. It was decided to introduce them. To our great surprise, all Willow wanted to do was clean him. She eventually took it one step further and began to play with him, which was wonderful to see!
She started greeting us at the door and escorting us around. She let us know when she couldn’t see us with a quick check-in yell as if to say, “Where are you?” It was a bittersweet moment; but we were thrilled at all of her newfound trust but it was also a clear signal. The time had come to find sweet Willow her very own family.
New situations still made her quite nervous. She would deal with that differently than most cats. We knew we had to find her a home where they would be patient and willing to show her that her new world would be safe and full of love. In just a few days the perfect family was found. The foster mom had tears in her eyes but her heart was exploding with joy when she got to go home with her amazing new adopters. Willow finally had a home, a family, and a life she so deserved.
Mom gets updates from Willow’s new posse and she’s living her best life ever. She’s an incredible girl and touched such a special place in our hearts!
Every cat is different. A naturally timid cat may be afraid of many things and spend a lot of her life hiding and running away. A naturally confident cat will be less fearful and may not react at all. We see cats at both ends of this spectrum and everything in between. With lots of patience, and love, you can build the trust required to help them understand that humans do care. Being able to help cats like Willow is not always easy, but seeing them thrive makes all of the effort worthwhile.