Winslet has a brave

[wendyzski]

I am seriously annoyed at the idiots who took and then returned Lady Winslet. Aggressive my ass! She spent most of the weekend lying in one of her favorite spots - her carpeted balcony or sprawled on the tile floor - while peering suspiciously at the open cage door. She came out for a few sniffing circuits, but bolted for the cage as soon as I came into the room.

I thought that maybe she might be cage-protective but even that isn't it. She didn't even blink when I emptied her litterbox (aside from staying as far away from me as possible).

Tonight was different though. With the assistance of some tiny bits of dried banana she came up to me, and even nosed my book looking for more. I snuck in a few pets, although she it still very dubious about those. She hopped up on the hay storage tub and stretched out on it to eye me suspiciously.

Her nails are very long and pointy - such that she clicks and slides on the tile floor. I'm going to have to do something about those pretty soon. Not looking forward to traumatizing her, but mommies have to be mean sometimes.

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Comments

[rebeccafiddler.livejournal.com]

Our "Viking kitty" was a two-time loser at the local pet shelter; she was a kitten who went out on two adoptions and came back within days each time because she was "too aggressive". (Specifically, she bit children in both houses.)

When we first saw her, she was scrawny and way too tired of being in a cage; we took her in a preview room and watched as she bounced from wall-to-wall, working off her barely-two-months-old kitten energy. The shelter told us that she was found alone and hungry when she was only 6 weeks old; her mother had apparently been killed. They contacted us because we had asked about Maine Coons, and her paws were rather large, although the tail was very skimpy looking. After a short bit of discussion, we agreed to try an adoption.

Once she was home, it became very apparent what the problem was - she was seriously malnourished and had been weaned way too soon. The biting problem was related to that; if you put your hand near her face, she would reach out and grab it to pull it in. She wanted to suckle on a finger, and she had very sharp kitten claws to help hold on. Kitten chow, a good claw trimming and a little bit of 'negative action' (i.e., if she grabbed a finger, you pushed towards her mouth, very slightly, to discourage the grabbing) resolved the problem.

And once she got her full tail and the neck ruff to match, her identity as a Norwegian Forest Cat (which is a variant of the Maine Coon strain) was confirmed; they have the large paws and ear tufts, but the bushy tail and a longer ring of fur (the ruff) do not appear until they reach adult stage. That was 15 or 16 years ago, and she is still being furry and purr-y around our house.

Here's hoping that a proper forever home happens for Winslet, now that she is learning how to respond appropriately to honest care and affection. I am glad that you have been able to do this fostering work; it sounds like just the thing for these buns.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I'm suspecting that once she comes out of her shell she has a nice strong personality and since she's already stunningly pretty and very smart she should have no problem finding a home. I'm really trying to resist it being mine.

[stormdog.livejournal.com]

Does it make me a bad parent that, if I had a cat that was prone to biting my kids, I'd tell my kids to stop annoying the cat? That's basically how I grew up.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of when a friend with a then-3-year-old was invited over. He was concerned that she might poke the bunny and get nipped. I told him it was a self-correcting problem. Kid pokes bunny. Bunny nips kid. Kid learns not to poke the bunny. The End.

[rebeccafiddler.livejournal.com]

No it does not. It makes you an observant and caring parent.

In the case of my cat, she was just too young to be placed in a household with A) younger children, and B) novice kitten wranglers. Once it was determined that she was only being a baby kitty (for real), resolving the problem became much easier; as she grew up and filled out properly, she stopped the 'biting' behavior and went for the head butts instead (something she still loves to do.

The only cat we have that 'bites' unexpectedly is our Siamese, AKA Max the Clueless. As is the case with most Siamese, he is seriously cross-eyed; if you move too quickly into his near vision range, he will sometimes nip in startlement (because he cannot focus clearly enough to see what's coming at him, a common problem with crossed-eyes). He gets a scold when that happens, but we also remember that we have to move a bit more slowly to avoid future issues.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Yeah - some pets just won't do well with kids. Some of our more easily frightened buns have "homes without young children" noted on their petfinder page. But Pepper was assertive enough to hold her own and knew enough about people to nip without breaking the skin - just hard enough to get your attention.

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

I thought that might actually be the problem. Sounds like she was a shy bun, and the folks who had her were the aggressors. I always hate when people assign the pet the problems coming from themselves. I love bunnies, but there is a reason I won't get one, I've always handled dogs and cats. Large dogs at that. That's what I know how to handle. I would probably terrify a bunny, completely unintentionally.

Wish there was a way to prevent people from getting pets they aren't prepared to deal with.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Kind of like me and performing - I'm so used to street performance and doing things large enough to be seen from 20 feet away. Put me on video and I look like an over-exxagerated clown, because I can't pull back to that level of subtlety.

[capi.livejournal.com]

Awwwww... all these stories just tug at the ol' heart-strings. Wiley was a "difficult child", too, seeing as how he came from an abusive home and then was "thrown away". It took me two solid years of working with him full-time to get the worst of the damage out of his eyes, but it will never be all gone from his heart. Even so, his life was slated to end at 11 months, and now, he's 12 years old. He may be a challenge some days, but he surely is a blessing, too. And it's wonderful to see him so happy, especially with Robyn.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I really have no explanation for what the guy said - either someone grabbed her when she wasn't ready and she retaliated, she just doesn't like guys/cats/that house/whatever, or he's lying through his teeth.

She's pretty timid but when she feels comfy she does the bunny-sprawl - it just takes her a while to feel comfy. Which is pretty typical for a bunny, on account of the whole "Everything in the world wants to eat me" thing they have going on :)

This whole patience thing is really hard for me, but it's pretty much essential when you have prey animals living with you.

[capi.livejournal.com]

Ah, Wendy, you have been doing so wonderfully well! All the way thru! And who can blame you if you are impatient with the folks who are *not* so good to the buns? OTOH, at least they had the good sense to bring her back. I'm so glad that you have entered into the World of Buns and are helping them to have better lives, one bun at a time. *grins* LOVE you, Wendy-Lady!

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Even after I nabbed her last night and subjected her to a bunicure and other indignities, she only sulked for about an hour and then came up to me to demand treats and pettins! This is clearly a bunny who had a bad time of it for some reason, and needed some quiet time with someone who knew what she needed, and now she's coming out of her shell just fine with lots of luvins (and bits of dried strawberry don't hurt either).

[capi.livejournal.com]

~melt~

awwwww.... I am so glad! Sounds like you found a niche for yourself, bun-mommy! Foster-care! Healing bun-heart-hurts. You are doing for buns what i do for dogs! Awwwww!!! May you always have apple twigs!

[gothpanda.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the work you're doing Wendy! On behalf of bunnies and animal-lovers everywhere.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Last night she snugged up against my leg and let me pet her, and I came home this afternoon to find her dozing in a sunbeam. And as i type this Im petting her with my other hand.

[gothpanda.livejournal.com]

Squeeeee! That's awesome!