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juushikaMama just had her initial vet visit! She got a microchip and flea treatment and rabies/distemper vaccines; she is also FIV/FeLV negative; she's in fantastic overall health, at a good weight, no ear mites, good heart and insides and yay. This is the best of all possible outcomes, and she was even good at the vet—skittish, happiest if mostly covered by a towel, but surprisingly calm and not at all aggressive.
I've provided bits and pieces of Mama's backstory, but now that Dee's adopted her we've heard a bit more detail from the neighbor who was looking after Mama. There's still gaps in our knowledge, but as it stands: Six years ago the neighbor took Mama, who was a stray, in to be spayed and eartipped by the Feral Cat Coalition; prior to that she'd had two litters, and was pregnant with a third when she was spayed. Our neighbor made an attempt to give Mama a home, but one of the neighbor's cats is pretty ornery and both of them are indoor/outdoor, so it didn't work out and one day Mama (and one of her kittens? I am unsure) escaped into the neighborhood. For these last six years she's been a neighborhood stray, and our neighbor has been feeding her. She's skittish but loves attention from those she trusts; the neighbor says it took her some time to win that trust (it went faster for Dee and me, probably because of Mama's experience with the neighbor), but she seems human-oriented to have been born feral.
We're still planning to do a two month quarantine, like we did for Gillian. Gillian had a possible (but unlikely) previous injury when we first found him, so there was a bit more concern about incubating viruses; Mamakitty isn't at such high risk, but a two month quarantine will give her, as it did Gillian, lots of time to bond with us, explore the house without interacting with other cats, and learn August and Gillian's scent. Gillian's introduction to August was largely drama-free, and I think his quarantine contributed to that. Hopefully it'll have the same positive effect on Mamakitty.
Dee'll buy a FURminator soon and I can begin the gleeful process of taming Mama's crazy fur; she also has a few mats that need trimmed out. The vet trimmed her nails; we'll want to upkeep that if at all possible.
Mama has been doing beautifully in the bathroom. She prefers to hide under things—the bench, the towel rack: low-down, covered safe dens. But she comes out for pettings, and she's learning to put most of her body in a lap so she can purr and drool and cover your nice black clothes with calico fur. So far she's been quiet and relatively uninterested in leaving the one room; this may be subject to change as she adapts.
All in all, healthy safe happy cat who will continue to be one. This is the best news.
I've provided bits and pieces of Mama's backstory, but now that Dee's adopted her we've heard a bit more detail from the neighbor who was looking after Mama. There's still gaps in our knowledge, but as it stands: Six years ago the neighbor took Mama, who was a stray, in to be spayed and eartipped by the Feral Cat Coalition; prior to that she'd had two litters, and was pregnant with a third when she was spayed. Our neighbor made an attempt to give Mama a home, but one of the neighbor's cats is pretty ornery and both of them are indoor/outdoor, so it didn't work out and one day Mama (and one of her kittens? I am unsure) escaped into the neighborhood. For these last six years she's been a neighborhood stray, and our neighbor has been feeding her. She's skittish but loves attention from those she trusts; the neighbor says it took her some time to win that trust (it went faster for Dee and me, probably because of Mama's experience with the neighbor), but she seems human-oriented to have been born feral.
We're still planning to do a two month quarantine, like we did for Gillian. Gillian had a possible (but unlikely) previous injury when we first found him, so there was a bit more concern about incubating viruses; Mamakitty isn't at such high risk, but a two month quarantine will give her, as it did Gillian, lots of time to bond with us, explore the house without interacting with other cats, and learn August and Gillian's scent. Gillian's introduction to August was largely drama-free, and I think his quarantine contributed to that. Hopefully it'll have the same positive effect on Mamakitty.
Dee'll buy a FURminator soon and I can begin the gleeful process of taming Mama's crazy fur; she also has a few mats that need trimmed out. The vet trimmed her nails; we'll want to upkeep that if at all possible.
Mama has been doing beautifully in the bathroom. She prefers to hide under things—the bench, the towel rack: low-down, covered safe dens. But she comes out for pettings, and she's learning to put most of her body in a lap so she can purr and drool and cover your nice black clothes with calico fur. So far she's been quiet and relatively uninterested in leaving the one room; this may be subject to change as she adapts.
All in all, healthy safe happy cat who will continue to be one. This is the best news.
