When the foster mom met Pippa, it was obvious she was the most fearful in the litter – hissing, spitting, and scratching peoples’ hands that came too close for comfort. She loves wrestling with her siblings. We found the best way to get her used to human socialization was to isolate her in a different room away from her brother and sister. Pippa was undoubtedly unimpressed with this change as we’re sure if we understood cat speak – a lot of nasty choice words were uttered. She has come a long way and after many weeks from the patient foster mom spending time with Pippa alone, Pippa realizes that scratches on the back and under the chin are nice -especially when canned food is served. Now she is very chatty and a bit of a purr monster! When you come into her room, she is eager for pets by her terms and only when she can see your hand coming. She hates surprises. She will come to you for some scratches and will run off to play with her toys or lightly bat your hand away when she’s had enough. Pippa loves to climb high and is very good at using the scratching post. She is quite skittish so anything that is new to her must be introduced very slowly. Foster mom is working on picking Pippa up into her arms and progress has been good so far. For her vet visits, gabapentin has been very helpful as a mild sedative before traveling to appointments, along with slow, gentle handling from veterinarian staff so she does not regress back into her fearful state. She should not be restrained in a blanket or towel as these are associated fears of being caught with them. Pippa would do best with another cat in the household or with adults in the household with children 12+. She is about 4mths old now (as of Nov. 13)
Pippa has been adopted!