Cats

Snickers Is Not Happy!

She wants a home of her own. She came to the refuge labeled as feral. Turned out she's not. But she is terrified of other animals. So she hisses and snarls and puts on a very bad front. She's lucky she was in one of the feral friendly shelters we partner with otherwise her story would be over by now.

While doing her quarantine time here she hissed and snarled at every other cat in the hospital. She'd climb out on human's shoulders and rub and purr and love, but heaven forbid, another cat looks at her and she's off to snarling and hissing.

She won't attack, she just hides and hisses and slaps if you're a cat and you come too close. She began to lose weight because she wouldn't come out and eat. So she moved into my CAT FREE office. I've told you all the horror stories of mixing cats and electronic equipment. So now I live in a CAT FREE office where only the free cats get to come visit. It seems like there's never been a time when no one is residing here. Snickers is getting better and can sometimes sit quietly on one side of me while someone else sits on the other. But heaven forbid you come near her while she eating or using the box and if you're a cat she'll hiss. She'd be much happier in an environment where there were no or one or two or three or four at the most other kitties. I think she could settle in with that pretty happily. She's only a year old, spayed, up to date on it all and she really needs a home. Please think about rescuing her from this horrible place filled with over 600 other cats !!!!!

Really serious I need you to adopt her.

Jacqueline, the white girl, lived way way out in the country, and her paw was run over by a vehicle. She needed medical attention but her owner was too poor to even feed the family. Jacqueline was sick and hurt and infection had started in. Her owner knew she would die so he did what he could to try and help. He attempted to perform an amputation.

Jacqueline was so sick that she didn't even object. Still laying in the yard the next day, with bone exposed, she gave birth to three premature kittens. Not knowing what else to do, and knowing that the local pound would euthanize her, he took her there, with tears in his eyes. One of our friends who have moved away from Orange County and way out to the mountains, was at the pound that day. She took Jacqueline home, got her much needed medical attention, and tried to save the three babies. Two of them didn't make it.

But little Alley Cat did. Jacqueline is still frightened of humans, though she is allowing me to touch her sometimes late at night when everything is quiet. Alley Cat is a super friendly little girl, about a year old now. And they are inseparable. When Jacqueline first came she trusted nobody but Alley Cat. They sleep together, they groom each other, and they play together.

We will never allow them to be separated. Many people have wanted to adopt Alley Cat. But nobody wanted Jacqueline. She's missing part of one front paw, and she's frightened, and that is enough to put her in the "unadoptable" category. But we will never let anyone take her baby away. If nobody ever loves them both equally they will continue to live happily at Rikki's Refuge.

LUCKY - a gray and white little girl, probably about a year old, came to us a few months ago labeled as irritable bowel and irritable personality. Neither has turned out to be the case. Supposedly she needed to be on a special diet, something we didn't have. And she has done just fine on whatever gets donated. As for her personality? A little bit shy in large groups, didn't know how to play with other cats so had probably been an only cat since she was a very tiny kitten, but is playing fine now, very loving and sweet to people. Spayed, shot, tested - and ready for you.

BROTHER LAZLO (ORANGE TABBY) & SISTER DINASHIA (BROWN TABBY) were born approximately November 20, and turned into a shelter with a group of cats shortly thereafter. One adult in that group tested a light positive for leukemia. He is still testing a light positive and now lives in our leukemia house. Everyone else in the group has continued to test negative. They just passed their final test and have moved out to Cat House Number Six. Wildflower, a dark tortie, and possibly their mother, is quite skittish and frightened, and is not bonded to these two. Saffron, an orange tabby, and probably an uncle or half brother, a semi-friendly, and plays with these two but is not seriously bonded. Lazlo & Dinashia are fixed, tested, shot and ready to go, and quite friendly little critters.

People frequently call and say I'd like to adopt a cat or dog. I'm so happy that maybe someone would give a good home to one of our misfits, I excitedly ask, "did you want a blind one, deaf, incontinent, kidney failure, cancer patient, diabetic, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic skin problems, perhaps a sprayer, or a biter, or ... hello, hello is anyone there?" Some animals we get are repairable. They have a problem that can be cleared up with medical attention. A behavior issue that can be addressed. A fear or neurosis that can be corrected over time. Or they were simply misdiagnosed. For example from time to time we get an animal labels as feral. It's a hissing and a growling and a snarling in that cage, but once it's out in the open it's a perfectly happy nice animal. Others may have come from a very frightening situation and it may take them six months or several years to warm up and become friendly.

There can be several dozen adoptable cats at Rikki's at any given time. Please contact the refuge via phone or email to see when an adoption coordinator will be available to show them to you. Better yet, come on down and volunteer and you can meet and interact with the cats as you work.