Hello everyone. This is Poe.
In October of 2016, we found a very skittish yet sweet cat in our backyard. Lonely and hungry, he decided to trust us and let us feed him. We learned after asking around in our neighborhood that this cat had been abandoned and left behind when his old family moved in June of that year. Fast forward to November and we have a new cat inside our house.
On a side note, Poe had both feline AIDs and feline leukemia, so he was considered unadoptable. Our vet told us that he usually puts these cats to sleep. But Poe was healthy at the time and he still is. We did not have it in our hearts to put down a cat that is capable of living happily, even if it isn’t for as long as a normal cat. In fact, after much care from us, Poe shed the feline leukemia! We could have put him down, but we gave him a chance. He still has the feline AIDs, but with lots of attention to his medical needs, he will live a good life.
Even though we could tell he was scared outside, it quickly became apparent just how traumatized Poe was once he was in our house. He jumped at every sound. His tail was always tucked between his legs. He hid behind my desk and couldn’t come out into the open of my room until my room’s door was closed. He existed in my room for a few good weeks, with only glimpses of the rest of the house.
When he’s comfortable, Poe is an angel. His love for being pet is unmatched. He slowly blinks at me or he will bunt against me to show affection. He loves to play with little mice toys. He practically sings operas for his breakfast and dinner. He sleeps on my pillow at night.
And slowly but surely, Poe crawled outside of his shell. He started with the hallway just outside my bedroom. Then the downstairs when no one was awake. This process took literal months, but now you can see that he is relaxing in our downstairs window, happy and content. He’s still a scaredy cat, but the progress is inarguable.
I wanted to tell you all of this because many people do not consider the shy cats when adopting. They overlook them in favor of the more confident ones. While confident cats are just as good as any other cat, they do not have trouble getting adopted. It is the shy cats, the traumatized cats, that people often brush aside. Maybe it’s because they worry about a challenge (which is totally valid), or maybe it’s because they fear the cat will never be happy (also a valid worry).
I won’t argue that having a shy or traumatized cat is not a challenge. It is, and if someone isn’t up to it, they certainly shouldn’t feel obligated to take up such a challenge. But I can say that nurturing and caring for a shy cat is a reward in and of itself. Maybe they might never be “confident,” but with love and support, they can be happy. And when they are happy, they are wonderful and amazing companions.
So please just consider the shy ones. Not just cats, but any animal that needs it. It might take some time, but you can find a great pet behind their fear and anxiety.
Thank you for reading this!
