Feline Rescue thinks the best way for you to get a feel for the work of the organization and it’s many dedicated volunteers is by letting our adopters (and their cats!) tell their own success stories.
Today we hear from Cindy and Steve, who adopted Crispin from our foster system in November!
Background: Crispin was a 1-year-old Abyssinian/Tabby mix who ended up at an overcrowded animal control. He was there for almost a month, and as the longest inmate his future was dangerously uncertain until he became part of Feline Rescue’s foster program. Right before Thanksgiving he found his perfect family, who happened to have another rescued Aby-Tabby (Lani) — almost an identical twin sister!
It was a little slow going at first, but things seemed to change dramatically at about seven weeks. Both Lani and Crispin love to play, and that’s been a way for them to bond. (They both like the red laser “bug,” feathers, and glitter balls.) Now, they’ll run, side-by-side as if yoked together, to the kitchen when I call them for meals. They swirl around my feet while I prepare their food, and Crispin is always eager to stick his nose into the ‘fridge to see if there’s something new to smell. (But he has also learned to back out, when I say “Crispin, come,” so I can shut the door.) They eat side-by-side in separate bowls in the kitchen. During every meal, they switch bowls at least three times, as if they’re doing some dance that only they know the steps to. As you told us, Crispin is highly “food motivated.” And he thinks that every crackly bag must contain kitty treats, so we have to explain why he can’t have pita chips, or the soft-soap refill, or cough drops. But he always joins in the conversation, trying to convince us that we’re wrong!
Crispin loves to wrap his tail around his papa’s legs, and to sit on the computer desk and butt his head at papa, to get rubbing and scratching. He is definitely getting used to being picked up, and now likes to be held and kissed. We’ve even started getting him used to having his nails clipped (two or three at a time). When we’re cooking or baking in the kitchen, he lounges like he’s posing for a magazine centerfold on the rug by the sink. (Wouldn’t want to miss anything “exciting.”) He and Lani can play “hide-and-pounce” for at least 30 minutes at a time, taking turns hiding under a chair or around a doorway. But if the one who is hiding doesn’t jump out soon enough, the other one will rush in and “encourage” the hider to come out and play. Like you, we have a split level house, and they run up and down the stairs or lay on separate stairs and hang their heads over, to see if there’s anything suspicious coming from the lower level. When we come home, we are likely to see them sitting at the top of the stairs, side-by-side, watching for us to open the door from the garage.
We are so lucky to have Crispin in our lives, and we promise to do our part to make sure that he grows up to be the happiest and most spoiled “Aby-tabby” in Cottage Grove, or at least a close second to Lani. Thank you to everyone who took care of him until we could find him!
–Cindy
