What happens when that winsome pound puppy you saw in a newspaper column morphs into Cujo once you get him home?
What happens when a cute little kitten you found online in Petfinder turns out to be incredibly fierce, non-cuddly and bristles with teeth and claws?
Too often, such animals are handed back quickly to pounds and rescue organizations or, even worse, dumped and left to die -- unwanted and unloved.
While some animals have emotional and aggression issues that are tough to solve and may pose a hazard, especially if there are small children around, and that may prevent them from being realistic candidates for adoption, too many people give up too soon with what seems to be an unlovable animal. With time, patience and love, an unpromising pet can become a loving companion.
That's what happened with our own Sweet Pea.
Our saga together began in the summer of 2010. We had just lost our beloved Marina, a beautiful and sweet flame point Siamese mix, to leukemia at the age of three. Marina had been a therapy cat, helping a number of my psychotherapy patients to calm down, to smile again and, in the case of warring couples, to speak softly to each other. She was incredibly loving, sleeping on my pillow, spending hours in Bob's lap and trilling with joy whenever I looked her way. Losing her so suddenly, so young, to a disease we hadn't known she had (her rescue organization insisted that she had tested negative and we had never let her outside) broke our hearts.
I knew that one cat never replaces another but, some months after her death, I yearned for another smart and sweet Siamese mix, preferably a flame-point -- a mixture of red or orange tabby with Siamese. There were no flame points available in local rescue groups or shelters then -- and would not be until a kitten named Hamish became available to us in 2012.
But in the summer of 2010, there was a lynx-point Siamese mix kitten at a shelter about 40 miles away. Her name was Sweet Pea. She looked so small and vulnerable in her online shelter picture. I broke precedent and contacted the shelter, saying that I would adopt her without as much as an introductory cuddle.
Sweet Pea Shelter Portrait
Sweet Pea, unusually docile, her first day with us
She wasn't in the shelter at that time because she hadn't "done well" in the facility. She was being fostered in the home of a devoted volunteer. Sweet Pea was something of a mystery. She had walked up to the door of the shelter, all alone and tiny at four weeks old one spring morning. This shelter was in the middle of the desert, miles from the city of Casa Grande. The consensus was that she had been dumped -- alone, unloved and not quite weaned.
Her foster mother Colleen described her to me as "lively, funny, feisty and larger than life." She said that she and her husband John had dubbed her "The Pea Who Will Take Over the World." I heard what I wanted to hear: lively and funny. I didn't stop to consider what feisty and "larger than life" might mean.
Tip: Listen for euphemisms. Lively might mean a holy terror. Feisty might mean you need protective gloves, garments and a face shield to handle.
Another tip: when you encounter a shelter animal with "Sweet" or "Sugar" in its name, be afraid.
When we went to the shelter to adopt Sweet Pea, Colleen and her John arrived with the kitten in their own cat carrier. Their feelings appeared mixed. John had fallen in love with Sweet Pea and had wanted to keep her. But they had five cats already. And Sweet Pea was high maintenance. They quickly transferred Sweet Pea to our cat carrier. She was ours.
Sweet Pea was unlike any cat we had ever known. Despite her tiny size, she was incredibly fierce. When our gentle old cat Gus came up to nuzzle her in a feline welcome, she bit him in the face. When our calm, sweet female cat Maggie tried to groom her, Sweet Pea hissed and lashed out. Once past her vulnerable first few days with us, she made it clear to us that she didn't want to be touched or picked up. She was a cute looking kitten who grew into a beautiful cat with wonderfully soft fur. But the greatest impression she made on us was the sharpness of her teeth and claws and her hair-trigger temper.
Sweet Pea attacking gentle Gus
There were times when we were tempted to return her to the shelter, but we have always believed, through our years of living with and loving rescued cats, that adoption means a lifetime commitment. We hoped that long-term, consistent love would calm her fear and anxiety and tame her fierceness.
In the meantime, we amused ourselves with a series of descriptive nicknames like "Rabid Badger" and "Wild Weasel", which pretty much summed up her behavior and temperament. She was the anti-Marina, the feline equivalent of the Antichrist.
Bob and I dedicated ourselves to immersing this unpromising young cat in love. We talked softly to her, telling her that she was loved. We learned to respect her desire for space and autonomy, touching her only when she sought our attention. We gave her special treats.
And, in time, she became less hostile and anxious. She began to crave proximity to her people -- following us from room to room, wanting to be wherever we were, sitting beside me as I typed on the computer, her head resting on my left hand. As more time passed, she became friendlier with the other cats and sought petting from us at times of her choosing. She started cuddling beside me as I sat on the couch reading newspapers and spent hours in Bob's lap, not wanting to be touched too much, but yearning to be close. We found that she loved to have her picture taken, often jumping up to get into a photo, striking a dramatic pose.
Sweet Pea with Bob
Sweet Pea helping with this blog post
We found that when we respected her preferences, as different as these might be from our other cats, she was a lovely and constant companion.
Now Sweet Pea is five years old and a much loved member of our family. Some aspects of the Rabid Badger remain. Unasked for petting can lead to a light bite. (She did a star turn in my trailer for my "Purr Therapy" book by biting on cue in the role of the least likely candidate for becoming a therapy cat.) The other cats find her volatility fascinating. Hamish, our three-year-old flame point Siamese, will simply sit in front of her and stare, without any signs of overt hostility, and watch her go into a paroxysm of hissing, spitting, thrashing rage. Minutes later, they're cuddling up together.
Sweet Pea played the heavy in Purr Therapy trailer
Sweet Pea is loving and affectionate on her own terms, in her own time. We leave her alone when she seeks solitude and welcome her when she craves company. She has become our official greeter for guests and she tends to be friendlier to strangers than our other cats. Not long ago, my friend Mary visited us from California and quickly decided that Sweet Pea was her favorite among our four cats. "This poor kitty has received altogether too much bad press," she declared, throwing Pea a fond glance as they sat together on the couch.
Mary contending that Pea has had "bad press"
Part of Sweet Pea's progress has been our love despite her hair-trigger temper and our acceptance of her as she is. We touch her only when she asks us to. She has taught us valuable lessons in the importance of respecting an animal's wishes instead of our insisting on cuddling this soft, furry creature. She runs a tight ship with firm boundaries and we've learned to respect these. When she feels safe and respected, Sweet Pea can be quite wonderful.
Our beloved Sweet Pea
Every day we spend with this funny, feisty, larger than life cat who has taught us humility, the importance of respect for another creature, and the joy of hard-won love is special.
She's a living reminder of the value of not giving up.
What happens when a cute little kitten you found online in Petfinder turns out to be incredibly fierce, non-cuddly and bristles with teeth and claws?
Too often, such animals are handed back quickly to pounds and rescue organizations or, even worse, dumped and left to die -- unwanted and unloved.
While some animals have emotional and aggression issues that are tough to solve and may pose a hazard, especially if there are small children around, and that may prevent them from being realistic candidates for adoption, too many people give up too soon with what seems to be an unlovable animal. With time, patience and love, an unpromising pet can become a loving companion.
That's what happened with our own Sweet Pea.
Our saga together began in the summer of 2010. We had just lost our beloved Marina, a beautiful and sweet flame point Siamese mix, to leukemia at the age of three. Marina had been a therapy cat, helping a number of my psychotherapy patients to calm down, to smile again and, in the case of warring couples, to speak softly to each other. She was incredibly loving, sleeping on my pillow, spending hours in Bob's lap and trilling with joy whenever I looked her way. Losing her so suddenly, so young, to a disease we hadn't known she had (her rescue organization insisted that she had tested negative and we had never let her outside) broke our hearts.
Our beloved Marina
I knew that one cat never replaces another but, some months after her death, I yearned for another smart and sweet Siamese mix, preferably a flame-point -- a mixture of red or orange tabby with Siamese. There were no flame points available in local rescue groups or shelters then -- and would not be until a kitten named Hamish became available to us in 2012.
But in the summer of 2010, there was a lynx-point Siamese mix kitten at a shelter about 40 miles away. Her name was Sweet Pea. She looked so small and vulnerable in her online shelter picture. I broke precedent and contacted the shelter, saying that I would adopt her without as much as an introductory cuddle.
She wasn't in the shelter at that time because she hadn't "done well" in the facility. She was being fostered in the home of a devoted volunteer. Sweet Pea was something of a mystery. She had walked up to the door of the shelter, all alone and tiny at four weeks old one spring morning. This shelter was in the middle of the desert, miles from the city of Casa Grande. The consensus was that she had been dumped -- alone, unloved and not quite weaned.
Her foster mother Colleen described her to me as "lively, funny, feisty and larger than life." She said that she and her husband John had dubbed her "The Pea Who Will Take Over the World." I heard what I wanted to hear: lively and funny. I didn't stop to consider what feisty and "larger than life" might mean.
Tip: Listen for euphemisms. Lively might mean a holy terror. Feisty might mean you need protective gloves, garments and a face shield to handle.
Another tip: when you encounter a shelter animal with "Sweet" or "Sugar" in its name, be afraid.
When we went to the shelter to adopt Sweet Pea, Colleen and her John arrived with the kitten in their own cat carrier. Their feelings appeared mixed. John had fallen in love with Sweet Pea and had wanted to keep her. But they had five cats already. And Sweet Pea was high maintenance. They quickly transferred Sweet Pea to our cat carrier. She was ours.
Sweet Pea was unlike any cat we had ever known. Despite her tiny size, she was incredibly fierce. When our gentle old cat Gus came up to nuzzle her in a feline welcome, she bit him in the face. When our calm, sweet female cat Maggie tried to groom her, Sweet Pea hissed and lashed out. Once past her vulnerable first few days with us, she made it clear to us that she didn't want to be touched or picked up. She was a cute looking kitten who grew into a beautiful cat with wonderfully soft fur. But the greatest impression she made on us was the sharpness of her teeth and claws and her hair-trigger temper.
There were times when we were tempted to return her to the shelter, but we have always believed, through our years of living with and loving rescued cats, that adoption means a lifetime commitment. We hoped that long-term, consistent love would calm her fear and anxiety and tame her fierceness.
In the meantime, we amused ourselves with a series of descriptive nicknames like "Rabid Badger" and "Wild Weasel", which pretty much summed up her behavior and temperament. She was the anti-Marina, the feline equivalent of the Antichrist.
Bob and I dedicated ourselves to immersing this unpromising young cat in love. We talked softly to her, telling her that she was loved. We learned to respect her desire for space and autonomy, touching her only when she sought our attention. We gave her special treats.
And, in time, she became less hostile and anxious. She began to crave proximity to her people -- following us from room to room, wanting to be wherever we were, sitting beside me as I typed on the computer, her head resting on my left hand. As more time passed, she became friendlier with the other cats and sought petting from us at times of her choosing. She started cuddling beside me as I sat on the couch reading newspapers and spent hours in Bob's lap, not wanting to be touched too much, but yearning to be close. We found that she loved to have her picture taken, often jumping up to get into a photo, striking a dramatic pose.
Pea striking a Christmas pose
We found that when we respected her preferences, as different as these might be from our other cats, she was a lovely and constant companion.
Now Sweet Pea is five years old and a much loved member of our family. Some aspects of the Rabid Badger remain. Unasked for petting can lead to a light bite. (She did a star turn in my trailer for my "Purr Therapy" book by biting on cue in the role of the least likely candidate for becoming a therapy cat.) The other cats find her volatility fascinating. Hamish, our three-year-old flame point Siamese, will simply sit in front of her and stare, without any signs of overt hostility, and watch her go into a paroxysm of hissing, spitting, thrashing rage. Minutes later, they're cuddling up together.
Sweet Pea is loving and affectionate on her own terms, in her own time. We leave her alone when she seeks solitude and welcome her when she craves company. She has become our official greeter for guests and she tends to be friendlier to strangers than our other cats. Not long ago, my friend Mary visited us from California and quickly decided that Sweet Pea was her favorite among our four cats. "This poor kitty has received altogether too much bad press," she declared, throwing Pea a fond glance as they sat together on the couch.
Part of Sweet Pea's progress has been our love despite her hair-trigger temper and our acceptance of her as she is. We touch her only when she asks us to. She has taught us valuable lessons in the importance of respecting an animal's wishes instead of our insisting on cuddling this soft, furry creature. She runs a tight ship with firm boundaries and we've learned to respect these. When she feels safe and respected, Sweet Pea can be quite wonderful.
Every day we spend with this funny, feisty, larger than life cat who has taught us humility, the importance of respect for another creature, and the joy of hard-won love is special.
She's a living reminder of the value of not giving up.
I've got one of those. Her name is Good Girl, but beware. She is a feisty calico. After living with her for seven years, I've learned that besides being high strung and athletic she is a scaredy cat and that is why she lashes out. She's afraid of everything and thinks she needs to defend herself or hide. I feel that those are just very strong survival skills. A soft touch and voice can win her over but on her terms.
ReplyDeleteI treasure each and every one of your posts, even when I don't take the time to comment. Sweet Pea is so lucky to have found you and Bob, and vice versa :)
ReplyDeleteWe get kitteh cats because many dump them in the high school athletic field or take them to the high school..We nuture them and love them, some have lived long long lives, we have a wild boy Miyagi who runs like a track star and that has calmed down a lot, we adores my hubs who really loves greyhound dogs over cats but he is kind and loving to all of our kitteh cats..I love your blogs and esp. this blog about Sweet Pea, our only is a prickly pear of a person you don't get lovey dovey with her either and she has lots of boundaries with people but is loving and kind to people she knows and trusts which happens to be few and far between, she adores kitteh cats and just lost a cat she had for about 10 full years, she will never get another she is busy all the time and mourns Miss Ellis' demise..She is firm in her convictions, she does however go and help out at a shelter for kitteh cats and pets and loves on them..I say felines and canines are like humans in an animal form, some are loving and cuddly and some are not. Guess Sweet Pea is like the latter, but you love and care about her and when she allows the loving you and your hubs are both there..kudos to you both!
ReplyDeleteI love that you took the adoption as a life long commitment. Sadly, too many don't. Think you handled Sweet Pea perfectly and she is rewarding you.
ReplyDeleteShe was so lucky to have found you to care for her strange ways.
Playful and energetic when describing an animal is kin to calling real estate property rustic. They are both fixer upers.
Kathy, I so applaud your commitment. I see a few parallels with Lizzie -- not that she was quite so high strung, but she certainly wasn't Gypsy -- and I knew that. But it took her three years to be the total cuddle girl. She still doesn't want to be a lap cat, but is a fine bed buddy with a purr like a motorboat. Perhaps she learned from Hammie and the others, along with your trust and patience. She is simply lovely!
ReplyDeleteShe is a beautiful creature. She is lucky to have you.
ReplyDeleteI love your patience with Sweet Pea! Your posts are always so good.
ReplyDeleteWe have always adopted rescue dogs and had one failure. Toby had to be re-homed, but only after we spent a lot of money on trainers. He loved us but tried to bite everyone else no matter where/who they were. We sadly re-homed him back to the Bichon Furkids organization. And then adopted Dulee who is the best but we are still sad about Toby.
You could have been writing about our newest cat - a stray who followed me home three years ago and whose home could not be found. She has mellowed a lot in that time, although we still keep her separated from our other cats (one a gentle, jumpy fellow and one a rescue with physical limitations) because she is so aggressive with them. Maybe over time she will mellow even more.
ReplyDeleteGood for you and Bob and the whole menagerie for persisting with Sweet Pea.