A bedraggled, hissy community cat transformed
A community cat for over a year, he was brought to us in late April as the local residents saw his health deteriorating.
The bedraggled boy held himself uncomfortably. Underneath the large matts he was a skinny 4kg with muscle wastage along spine and pelvis.
Under sedation, our Veterinary team clipped his coat and nails and removed a fractured and diseased tooth. A health plan included building up his weight and probiotic support to improve problems with diarrhoea.
Behaviour rehabilitation
Viktor’s initial behaviour assessments marked him as very nervous and hissy. His behaviour plan included giving him plenty of high up hidey spaces in his pod, pet remedy pheromone, screening from other cats and walkways, and positive association rehabilitation with chicken.
In June he had a turnaround and his confidence increased. Viktor would sit out in the open, and would meow for attention when an Animal Carer walked past. During training and play sessions, he would approach and be flirty so we started to fuss with a stick around head and cheek (this is a hands-off starting point to physical contact). Viktor was also becoming playful - a sure sign of being more relaxed.
From August, Viktor can now be stroked by his main Animal Carer. He can get overstimulated (a common sign as cats progress through rehabilitation) so it required regular but short interactions, with toys that didn’t involve hands too close.
By September we started to introduce being brushed, as well as accepting fuss from a range of Animal Carers and trained cattery volunteers.
Ready to be adopted
Viktor was adopted in October - we found him an experienced owner without children in the home, who understood cat behaviour. When we checked on him a week or so after adoption, his new owners said “Our little man is doing so well. He is such a brave boy and has taken over the whole house in the last 2 weeks! Still a little jumpy but knows where his safety room is, and we are all happy.” It was accompanied by this gorgeous photo.
Recoveries like this are only possible thanks to the generous support of our Regular Givers. Set up a direct debit today to help us be there for the next vulnerable animal that needs our support.
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