Imagine a kitten so traumatized, that he shook from terror whenever a human approached him. A kitten so scared of the humans who had let him down, that his foster mom had to swaddle him in order to show him that he was safe. For Potato Chip, his Happily Ever After started and ended with his foster mom Trish, who helped show him that not every human will let him down, and that love is there when you’re ready to accept it. When asked about her introduction to him, Trish told us the following story:
“I was asked to foster a kitten who had recently arrived from a high kill shelter, and was having a hard time adjusting to his wonderful but busy foster family. When he arrived, I was shocked at how shut down little Potato Chip was at only 12 weeks old. He would shake uncontrollably when I would approach him, and had several accidents from his fear. He hid night and day.
I recruited one of our other cats, the very social and patient Diego, to help me show Potato Chip that, although his life before and at the shelter had been traumatizing, it would never be again.
From the first days of swaddling him to try to comfort him, to his first introductions to our other pets, including a large dog, to his first sighting of a bird, and better yet, the fantastic yet evasive red dot, he has grown into a beautiful, sweet, charming, playful, sociable and confident companion. So much so, that he is helping us socialize our newest foster, who was also horribly failed by his previous humans.
As with all our pets, he has given us more than we could ever have given him. So much so, that little did we realize his foster home was actually his forever home!”
Stories like this are favourites of ours here at Team Cat Rescue, because it’s a clear example of what love and patience can do to heal a cat who has been let down. We often hear “I want a social cat” or “I want one that will play”, but it takes a very special adopter to realize and then unlock the potential of a shy cat’s love. Please don’t overlook the cats who are timid, need time, or are plain heartbroken. When they come to trust you, they will reward you tenfold.
