Heidi is an approximately three- to four-year-old feline who has stories to tell. She is seeking a warm, safe, loving, forever home. [ADOPTED]
Age: 3 to 4 years old
Gender: female, spayed
Vaccinations: up-to-date (given 1/17/13 and 2/7/13)
Requirements: Heidi needs to be an only cat. No young children.
Personality: playful and affectionate, still overcoming some feral tendencies
I first laid eyes on Heidi when she was a pregnant feral hanging outside our office. Thankfully, she was quite hungry and willingly went into my trap. Heidi stayed on a three-seasons porch at a foster home to raise her felines, but she was not open to interacting with humans. Gradually, I could touch her and even trimmed her claws. But she clearly did NOT want to live her life indoors. . . at that point.
After we rehomed Heidi's kittens (two were polydactyl), we transitioned Heidi to outdoor life on the farm when she had been fostered. Heidi gradually warmed up to the family, approaching for scritches, always presenting her back to not see the hand reaching down to touch her.
Heidi then took an interest in heading indoors at night. The family allowed her to enter the house to sleep on the back porch then leave in the morning. Given she did NOT want to be indoors the previous year, Heidi had made progress.
Then New Year's Day 2013 changed Heidi's life forever. Heidi appeared on the front entrance to the farm missing a large hunk from her back.
Seriously injured, Heidi somehow recognized that humans were her means for help. Heidi transferred to my place, and I took her in for surgical debridement on 1/2/13.
The vet felt Heidi had crawled into a car engine and been severely burned when the engine started. Her back was missing chunks of flesh, and portions were sloughed but arranged in place hoping the blood flow would be sufficient to restore the areas. Heidi, a former feral, allowed me to give her medications five times per day and change her dressing twice daily. Her transition from a feral to a semi-feral to a housecat was well on the way.
Heidi's wounds healed remarkably well, and she only has one hidden half-dollar-sized patch without the rich, luscious fur that coats the rest of her body.
Having worked with ferals and strays, Heidi is truly remarkable for making the transition to a housecat. Very, very few ferals could successfully do what Heidi has accomplished. Heidi loves being scratched, but she still prefers to present her backside for scritches. She cuddles all night long in bed when I sleep in her room. Heidi loves to play, and she absolutely craves affection. We continue to work on extinguishing a tendency to nip at hands. Petting Heidi still requires keeping an eye on her body language. My experience has been that she nips when the petting stops, objecting to the stopping. If I stroke her in a way that involves lifting my hand between strokes, she is more apt to nip. Using both hands alternating to maintain contact with her back keeps her content. Heidi settles down to sleep, purring away. I truly wish Heidi would tolerate other felines because I think more regular interaction with me would be quite beneficial to fine tune her socialization. However, there are eleven other rescue cats in the home (five are permanent family members), and Heidi would rather be the only one.
Heidi does better when people allow her to approach them for affection rather than having someone come at her. When my sister visited from California, she simply sat on the futon in Heidi's room and Heidi readily approach and basked in her loving.
I really believe this girl will flourish in a home with a calm, gentle person who is aware of cat body language. In time, I suspect, her nips with be completely extinguished as Heidi enjoys life in the lap of luxury.
Please consider opening your heart and home to this incredible beauty who has already overcome so much in life. Heidi deserves a long life in a warm, safe, loving forever home. [ADOPTED]
Gender: female, spayed
Vaccinations: up-to-date (given 1/17/13 and 2/7/13)
Requirements: Heidi needs to be an only cat. No young children.
Personality: playful and affectionate, still overcoming some feral tendencies
I first laid eyes on Heidi when she was a pregnant feral hanging outside our office. Thankfully, she was quite hungry and willingly went into my trap. Heidi stayed on a three-seasons porch at a foster home to raise her felines, but she was not open to interacting with humans. Gradually, I could touch her and even trimmed her claws. But she clearly did NOT want to live her life indoors. . . at that point.
After we rehomed Heidi's kittens (two were polydactyl), we transitioned Heidi to outdoor life on the farm when she had been fostered. Heidi gradually warmed up to the family, approaching for scritches, always presenting her back to not see the hand reaching down to touch her.
Heidi then took an interest in heading indoors at night. The family allowed her to enter the house to sleep on the back porch then leave in the morning. Given she did NOT want to be indoors the previous year, Heidi had made progress.
Seriously injured, Heidi somehow recognized that humans were her means for help. Heidi transferred to my place, and I took her in for surgical debridement on 1/2/13.
The vet felt Heidi had crawled into a car engine and been severely burned when the engine started. Her back was missing chunks of flesh, and portions were sloughed but arranged in place hoping the blood flow would be sufficient to restore the areas. Heidi, a former feral, allowed me to give her medications five times per day and change her dressing twice daily. Her transition from a feral to a semi-feral to a housecat was well on the way.
Heidi's wounds healed remarkably well, and she only has one hidden half-dollar-sized patch without the rich, luscious fur that coats the rest of her body.
Having worked with ferals and strays, Heidi is truly remarkable for making the transition to a housecat. Very, very few ferals could successfully do what Heidi has accomplished. Heidi loves being scratched, but she still prefers to present her backside for scritches. She cuddles all night long in bed when I sleep in her room. Heidi loves to play, and she absolutely craves affection. We continue to work on extinguishing a tendency to nip at hands. Petting Heidi still requires keeping an eye on her body language. My experience has been that she nips when the petting stops, objecting to the stopping. If I stroke her in a way that involves lifting my hand between strokes, she is more apt to nip. Using both hands alternating to maintain contact with her back keeps her content. Heidi settles down to sleep, purring away. I truly wish Heidi would tolerate other felines because I think more regular interaction with me would be quite beneficial to fine tune her socialization. However, there are eleven other rescue cats in the home (five are permanent family members), and Heidi would rather be the only one.
Heidi does better when people allow her to approach them for affection rather than having someone come at her. When my sister visited from California, she simply sat on the futon in Heidi's room and Heidi readily approach and basked in her loving.
I really believe this girl will flourish in a home with a calm, gentle person who is aware of cat body language. In time, I suspect, her nips with be completely extinguished as Heidi enjoys life in the lap of luxury.
Please consider opening your heart and home to this incredible beauty who has already overcome so much in life. Heidi deserves a long life in a warm, safe, loving forever home. [ADOPTED]
Sign-in to write a comment.