Legacy came to me through a good samartan. A phenomenally beautiful purebred Showshoe Siamese, she had been dumped by her family, and was housed with a senior cat who really hated her, and constantly attacked and harassed her. I couldn't fathom even for an instant how anyone could allow her to get in such a terrible state, though. Her fur was dull, her whiskers were broken off, she was overweight, but most of all, she was completely terrified of everything and everyone. She wasn't fixed, and had never been to the vet (absolutely infuriating, I'm quite sure that she was being used for breeding as well, she had the look of having nursed kittens when she came). When she first arrived, I put her in a room with my youngest daughter (She's 10). I find oftentimes, highly traumatized cats respond well to calm, caring children. Perhaps they sense that they are not as scary as adults, but there have been many times my kids have made connections with these cats before I do. It doesn't bother me in the least WHO makes the connection... All I really care about is that it happens. Once it does, magical things start to happen.
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| Legacy is a beautiful purebred Snowshoe. Not a common cat at all. |
With a lot of work, slow movements, and patience, we got her trusting us. Eventually, we wanted to test and see how she would do with other cats, but we didn't want it to turn into something that would traumatize her further and perhaps set back her progress. Cats who are traumatized are often further harassed by other cats. Even cats who are usually nice can be on the offensive with traumatized cats, as they sense their weakness. We have lovely resident cats, who for the most part are excellent with other cats, but admittedly, there are some strong personalities in our clowder who could be triggered by a "weak" cat. We wanted to work past that in a way that wouldn't move us backwards.
Instead of introducing her to adults, I thought that, chances were good that she would be less intimated by kittens. We had some foster kittens at the time, particularly fun and playful ones, and we decided to do an experiment. We put the sweetest, most outgoing kitten with her to see how she reacted. At first, she was a little grumpy, not sure what to make of the situation.. But soon, she started to engage him, and before long, she was grooming him, cuddling him, and watching him as he played. This was particularly interesting to me, because she never engaged him in play. I had tried everything, every toy and trick in my arsenal to get her to engage in play, and no matter what I tried, NOTHING worked. Play is a fantastic bonding activity for cats, and I was sort of put out that I could not crack this nut. The kitten, however, managed to do what I could not, and almost as if she was learning from him, she started to engage him in some play. When I realized how much she watched him before she attempted herself, I realized, it was because she DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PLAY! Of course! If nobody had ever played with her, how would she possibly know how? I was extremely excited at the breakthrough, and knew that her progress would move along even more quickly now that I had another way to build her confidence. Play for cats is EXTREMELY confidence-building. It's also a good way to get the weight off, and she sure needed to get to a healthy weight! Good food and lots of play work wonders!
The big day arrived, and it was time to take Legacy to be spayed - she was looking trim and sleek. In the time between her arriving, and her being fixed, one of my very best friends had a tragic even occur in her family. One of their beloved cats was struck after running outside by a driver outside of her home. This particular cat was one of those extremely SPECIAL ones (I know they all are, but you know what I mean, some are extra-special). She was like a small, furry, four-legged soulmate to my friend. My friend had to suffer through the horror of seeing the accident, and having her fur-child die in her arms. She is one of the most wonderful people I know, and I know how much her heart broke in that moment. I knew that no other cat could fill that hole... but, I also knew that she needed to have someone to help, to help her through the pain, to help the coping, and to give her hope again. Legacy, also, needed someone special. Someone who knew cats and could and would invest the time and energy into helping her finish her journey. Allow her to be who she was and flourish in her confidence. I asked my friend if, when Legacy was ready, she wanted to bring her into her home. At first I'm sure she felt like she was betraying her baby, but the idea grew on her, and she agreed to give her a forever home. In fact, she chose the name. Legacy, as a testament to the legacy left by the fur baby who'd gone to the rainbow bridge, and a testament to the power of love to heal. I felt it was a fantastic name, for a fantastic cat, from a wonderful woman who deserves love. When Legacy healed from her spay, she had a forever home willing and waiting.
Legacy was AMAZING at the vets. Though she was a little scared at first, she quickly charmed the staff with her chatty ways and her extremely loving personality. Her recovery was very fast, and as she healed, she flourished even more! She found a little ball that she enjoyed, and would bring it and drop it by me. I picked it up and threw it... Low and behold, she brought it back and dropped it, ready to be thrown again! I was so excited, I immediately texted her new mom and told her all about it. She was excited too, and was just as pleased to see that her fur-baby was making so much progress!
The day arrived to take Legacy to her forever home. It was a three-hour trip from my house to where she was going, and I was a little worried about how she would handle it, but it had to be done, and I knew that once she arrived, she'd never be leaving again. She was perfect for the trip, didn't howl, cry, or otherwise fuss. She chatted a little in her Siamese way, but it's almost like she knew this was her last trip, and at the end was happiness. When we arrived, I took her inside and set her down, trying to see how she was reacting to the change in environment. Her ears were forward and alert, and she was looking everywhere, but not fearfully. She was curious and anticipating the door being opened so she could explore. We opened the door, and out she came, as confident as you could ever wish for, and started exploring her new home. Within minutes, she was up the cat climber, and made herself quite at home. It was like she was meant to be there all along. Her new mom was thrilled, and she's quickly become a darling in the household. She gets along with the other resident cats, and is a confident, playful, and loving girl. She loves playing fetch, and keeps her mom busy throwing her little ball for hours every day. She is not a "replacement" for the lost fur baby, but she has made the hurt a little less, and instead of filling a void, has carved out her own space in the hearts of her forever family.
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| Legacy ready to play fetch some more. She will play all day long, according to her mom. |
All it takes is one, and Legacy was it for me. She was the one who really made me realize that we had made a massive difference, and even one cat at a time, if we could only help the worst off, they would have a chance at life that they would never have otherwise. We all decided, we wanted to help cats other people wouldn't (because traumatized cats don't get adopted quickly and the lifeblood of many rescues is a quick turnaround), or couldn't (many are intimidated by a hissing, growling cat and don't automatically register that with the cat being scared - only aggressive). It starts with just one.... but here's to hoping there's many more!
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