Kittens in the apartment! Kittens in the lobby! Kittens in the Community Room! This month our littlest residents are bursting the bounds of any one area.
In an effort to socialize some of our more timid kittens, and to give the lucky public more of an opportunity to see and adopt them, we’ve been rotating different pairs of kittens in and out of the Lobby. This strategy, plus a sudden year-end influx of adopters, have resulted in several of our babies and teenagers finally finding their homes.
Perhaps most poignant was the family who gave their hearts to Yuzu. A gentle spirit with an ongoing need for socialization, little Yuzu had been one of our “toughest nuts to crack.” Time spent in the Lobby – and shameless bribery with treats – helped our girl begin to trust some staff members. Yet she was still, clearly, a kitten in need of patience and work. No matter; when Yuzu’s future family met her, they happily agreed to give her all the time and love she’d need to bloom. She’s now in her forever home. This gives us great hope for our remaining timid kittens, including Yuzu’s brother Rangpurr.
This beautiful orange boy is still a bit shy, but by watching his friend Murray soak up love from every available human, and by snuggling with the lobby’s grandma cat, Cookie, Rangpurr is slowly coming around. Just today when I stopped to say hello, he scurried away at first, but stopped just a few feet away, curling his tail around the nearest furniture, and looking at me in a way that said, “I trust you…from over here.” Every time I see him, he’s a little quicker to warm up, and this time, he only took a few seconds to decide that yes, he was up for a little petting after all. Such a nice boy.
The apartment is still full of kittens, too, and as soon as you walk through the door, you are besieged by squirmy little (and not so little any more) lovies. Blossom, who has, ahem, blossomed into a lovely little cat, would love some lap time, while Florence, Ezekiel, and Bolt take turns chewing on each other’s tails, and Dina remains tucked in a cubby. She still needs some convincing that life at Tabby’s Place is a lesser form of heaven. Spending even just a few minutes in the apartment with the kittens is truly a fantastic way to pass the time.
Thank you, dear sponsors, as always, for your continued support of these little darlings. Quirky, timid, or in-your-face, each of them has such personality, and thanks to your help, they have a chance to grow and to shine their brightest.