Six months ago, I took a beautiful orange long-haired cat into foster. I wasn't planning to keep him long, as I really only have my basement available for temporary fosters. Within moments of meeting him, though, I knew I had to commit to AppleJack until he found his perfect forever home.
Gorgeous though he was, AppleJack was terrified to be thrown into a new, unfamiliar environment. I brought him into my basement and kept him crated for the first day. He cowered at the back of the crate, unconvinced to trust and unwilling to be petted. By the second day, I thought it best to keep the crate open and allow him free run of the basement. I, in all my genius, thought this might make him feel more secure. Instead, he disappeared. For the next month, this frightened, confused boy lived in my basement couch. (Not under it, mind you. Actually IN it.) He found a hole in the bottom lining and climbed up inside. There was evidence that he would come out of the couch to eat or use the litter box, but never when I was present. I spent every night on my knees reaching my hand under the couch near where he was hiding and speaking soft, reassuring words to him.
Every night. For an entire month. I talked baby talk to my couch.
Then one magical evening it happened. I sat down in my basement and out of nowhere, this sweet face was looking up at me telling me he was ready now. I had proven myself and he would now allow me to pet him...and I did. I sat petting this sweet boy's soft fur for an hour. Then he got up and crawled back under the couch.
It has taken a few months, but today AppleJack (affectionately known in our house as AJ or JackJack) is quite comfortable in his foster home. He still hides when we have visitors and he has to sleep in the basement because he torments Punky and Gracie, my only female cats. But he plays happily with Alexander, my 10 month old male kitten, and tolerates the large dog.
A few months ago, when we completed construction of our outdoor cattery, the Cattyshack, I thought I might try moving JackJack out with that group of foster cats. The morning after his first full night out there I went out to clean up and feed them breakfast. He followed me around closely until I left the fencing and began to walk back to the house. I heard someone crying behind me. I turned around and saw JackJack standing up with both front paws clinging to the fencing and crying like my toddler did the first time I left him at a new daycare. It was heartbreaking. I turned around, packed him back into his crate, and carried him back into the house.
And here he will stay until he finds that home that will be as patient and tolerant of him as he deserves. Two days ago. I was sitting on the couch working and JackJack climbed up beside me and curled up in my lap. It took him a full six months to get up the courage to do this. And it was beautiful.
AppleJack isn't perfect. He stalks the girl cats. Mind you, he doesn't touch them or hiss at them. He simply walks over to where they are sitting and stares at them...until one of them yells, hits him, and runs away. It's a bit creepy, but also rather hilarious.
He smacks my leg and yowls when he feels like he hasn't received enough attention...which is every night.
He loves to play fetch with mousey toys, but refuses to bring the mousey back so you have to walk to the other side of the room repeatedly to continue playing.
But to watch him run all out, trilling the whole way, and slide across the floor to get to the mousey is pure entertainment. To pet his soft fur and hear the faint purr that he so rarely allows anyone to hear is pure contentment. And to look into his eyes and see the gratitude of a being that understands that he has been saved is pure reward.
If you would like to meet this VERY special boy, email sunshine@bhsva.org. You may just find that you, too, would be moved to talk baby talk to a couch to earn his love.
(I put this video together a few months ago. In it I state that he is quite content to be on his own. I'm not sure that is really true, as I am only now starting to see his true personality. I now think that he truly wants to be with people, but it takes time for him to trust enough to show it.)
