by Lupe Gore

The mission of Feral Paws Rescue has always been to save senior and special needs cats, and our Rescue never goes back on our word. So, when we get a call from the Central California SPCA, we respond as quickly as possible. Three precious cats last month were no exception.

Freddie is a very handsome 19-year-old black and white cat who had been surrendered to the shelter due to the death of the owner’s husband. Apparently, she couldn’t stand having Freddie in the house as Freddie was her husband’s cat. They had Freddie with them since he was six months old. Freddie was already becoming very withdrawn at the shelter, especially due to his age and being in such an unfamiliar place. Our Rescue rushed over to the shelter to get him. Since he has been with us, Freddie is enjoying the human contact and extra attention he is receiving from us, including regular brushing and the canned cat food he enjoys so much. He is in his own little “house” here where he can watch the other cats but doesn’t have to interact with them. When he is ready, he can enjoy their company as he wishes.

Bryana is a young black and white adult, age unknown, who found herself at the shelter due to the death of her former owner, and since that person had over seven cats in the household, it was considered a hoarder case. Bryana is also a special needs cat. She has Cerebral Hypoplasia, a neurological condition in which the cerebellum – the part of the brain that coordinates movement – is smaller than usual or not completely developed. It is most easily recognizable by the cat having a tilted head.

Bryana must be an indoor-only cat, as she could not outrun another animal or climb to high places. When our Rescue pulled her from the shelter, she immediately went into long-term foster care where she will remain indefinitely. Her disposition tends to be somewhat wary of other cats in her foster home, where she will occasionally hiss at them if they get too close, but she is adjusting. She prefers to stay in the bedroom with her own special food and water bowl, even though she has free rein of the rest of the house. She trusts her foster parent and knows that’s her bedroom.

Buddy is a very friendly black and white cat who is 11 years old and came from the same household as Bryana. He is a big boy who loves attention and being petted. Unlike Bryana, he gets along well with other cats and is currently housed with other cats in a large room. They share several cat trees and furniture. Thankfully, Buddy has acclimated well to his new surroundings, despite being in his previous household since he was a small kitten.

Our Rescue has received several requests from the shelter recently. Cats who would otherwise be euthanized because they were deemed unadoptable at the shelter were welcomed here. The shelter is a stressful environment for older cats, especially those who have lived their lives in a home setting and now must adjust to no longer having the comforts of home. But at the same time, we don’t really know what those comforts were, and the cats can only tell us through how they react to the attention and care we give them when they are here.

EMAIL: fprg.org@gmail[dot]com
Phone: 559-412-7226

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section & watch for more stories from Feral Paws every month, and we would love to have you join our KRL Pets Facebook group. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to Feral Paws.