Fender

Just after Thanksgiving, the rescue reached out to ask if I'd "work my magic" on Fender, who was being surrendered by her family. They adopted her in late July, but she just wasn't a good fit in their home and they realized Fender wasn't happy. When I reached out to them to make arrangements, they brought her over right away and shared that their older cats didn't like Fender. In their small apartment, she didn't have much space to get away from them and spent most of her time on top of the cabinets, avoiding her family. I heard from the rescue she did like other cats and I've had a lot of success using friendly, social cats to help scared cats feel more secure, so I watched and listened for her reaction when I put her crate down to get her room set up. I let the Savory Delights, a very social group of kittens, and my friendliest housecat, Mama Katsu, in and they were very accepting of Fender, who stayed calm and quiet in her crate. *Disclaimer: I was ready to intervene if this first meet and greet went sour- some cats/kittens do not do well when being greeted by very extroverted other cats/kittens... this is NOT how we advise first greets as a general rule

Fender didn't seem to mind the kittens invading her space at all, and I definitely felt that she accepted and was comforted by them and more wary of me. So I let her explore on her own, getting used to the room and activity with the kittens did their kitten things all around her. They could run up to her or by her without any distress, but she definitely cringed any time I moved or made loud noises. So I put on an audio book and let her watch me play and cuddle the kittens, showing her that I was trustworthy.

She finally let me approach her, tense, but not panicked. This little scaredy cat took a LOOOONG time to accept the food I offered her... it's amazing how heavy a tiny piece of food can feel after holding it out... but I felt so honored when she gently nibbled it from my fingers. I also felt relieved... the Savory Delights and Frankie + Grace are all chompers and I sacrificed my poor fingers to their hunger several times.

Fender hid for the majority of 5 days, but she'd crawl out of hiding to get food and quite easily accepted some pets during snack time. At first, I just pretended I was a kitten rubbing into her during treat time, as she was constantly being bumped into or stepped on when treats were involved- but she leaned into my hand and would demand love and head scratches before she remembered she was scared and would run away. But on the 5th day, she rubbed against me and then let me gently haul her into my lap. It was the first time I attempted to pick her up, but she gave no resistance at all! She was both slightly tense/ready to run and slightly demanding of love and affection at the same time. If the kittens knocked something over or my husband walked down the hall she'd jolt or bolt... but she kept coming back for more.

The next day she shocked me by popping out of hiding as soon as I entered and called her name, answering me with a sweet, tiny "mew?" When I sat down, she came out to rub against my leg and I heard her sweet purr! I didn't even have to tempt her with food and she was no where near as tense- she stayed with me even when the kittens knocked over something in the hall. She didn't tense up or pull away when I leaned in and started kissing her head- Fender just purred on and asked for MORE LOVE!

I did start noticing some patterns in her behavior over that first week. When Fender was exploring or out being social, she didn't mind the kittens our house cats. If she was in my lap, they could climb all over her, chew on her ears, eat her food.. and she'd just play with them, groom them, or tolerate them.

But when she became overstimulated and sequestered herself in a hidey hole, she would become very defensive. Fish Taco/Miso, in particular, really liked Fender. That was fine when she was interested in playing or exploring... but he often followed her into hiding and then would get swatted out. Luckily, she's much bigger than Miso and he's not the dumb one, so he learned to respect her boundaries pretty quickly. But one of my personal pets, Musubi, just decided she didn't like Fender- and the feeling is definitely mutual. I don't understand it, as Musubi is usually pretty chill and quite a lover... but she seems to take delight in harassing Fender! I don't have videos because I'm more concerned about keeping them apart- but it gave me some insight into Fender. She's a sweet, but sensitive girl with major boundary issues. Musubi is wonderful. Fender is wonderful. Musubi + Fender= DISASTER. We had to be careful and only let those two in the same room with supervision. In our house, with lots of room and so many distractions, it isn't that big of an issue. But we have had enough cat fights to understand how stressful it would be for her in a smaller setting with 2 cats who didn't like her.

Despite this minor inconvenience, Fender was happy to have more of the house to explore and quickly discovered the warm coziness of the bed for snuggles.

OK OK... full disclosure... ever since bringing Frankie & Grace around, I have kept kitten treats in my bed. I reward them every time they come to me for a snuggle- and now the sound of the treat container opening brings a massive horde of fur and fangs. But Fender will come visit even if I am not shaking the treat jar!! She is becoming pretty responsive to her name, giving me a cute "Mewerrrp" if she's awake and nearby, then popping out of wherever she was hiding. She even hopped into my lap while I was working.

Fender surprised me by having so much love to give and being a very affectionate girl.... unless Musubi is around. It sounds as if her first home had 2 Musubi-like cats and no extra space, and that's why she couldn't show her sweet side to her first family. I'm so grateful they made the hard decision to give her up so she could have a second chance to find a home that may match her personality and needs. Fender actually loves to cuddle, usually seeking out my sweet, dumb Beefcake if she wants kitten cuddles. Last night she and Beef crawled under the covers with me and lulled me to sleep with their purrs. This morning she was laying on my feet. When I called her, she popped up and happily accepted love and pets, snuggling up as close to my belly with her head on Beef's belly.

When I needed a body shot for her bio picture, I called her name. She was sleeping in the cat tree, but woke up and popped right out for her photoshoot!

I won't have her much longer. We got her caught up on vaccination cycle and she'll head to Petsmart this weekend, hoping to go home for the holidays. I'm hopeful that she'll find a patient family who will let her come out of her shell at her own pace. Now that we know her needs better, our adoption team can find the perfect partner for a harmonious home!