My Passion, My Gift

I visited an animal behaviorist

I went to an appointment with Dr. Karen Overall, a cat and dog behaviorist, because I wanted input on a long-term foster, Lucy.

To prep for the appointment, I had to send videos of Lucy in her environment, and doing the things that were concerning to me. I also sent a ton of pictures from the 8 months I’d had her. Dr. Overall reviewed all of these before we met.

We started the appointment, and she looked me in the eye and said:

“I’m so impressed with you. The fact that Lucy can be touched after the neglect she suffered is much more than I would say was possible after a few months. You really have a gift for this. Lucy is lucky to have you as her advocate.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Maybe she was just saying that.

Then I got Lucy’s discharge papers a few days later, and #1 and #7 were both, “You’ve done amazing with Lucy.”

That’s when I knew, for sure, I have a gift, and maybe sharing my experiences would help others. So, that’s what I’m doing.

Now I specialize in the difficult kitties

It’s my mission to care for mostly slightly older kittens and full grown cats that don’t have much of a chance, and to help them become balanced pets. They deserve all the attention and love too. They aren’t all fake ferals like this guy:

My hope is that you find this information useful.
Either with your own pets, cats you foster or even your friend’s cat that swats at you every time you see it.

The Plan

I’ll post weekly and each week will have a theme. I’m sure I’ll add subtract as I go and get feedback from all of you. Please be patient as I figure this whole thing out.

Foster Diary Lessons I’ve learned from fostering.
Kitty Kare Korner Different aspects of taking care of your resident cats.
The Lucy Chronicles My long-term foster is a very difficult case, and there’s a lot to learn from her. She is the inspiration for this blog.
Thinks & Blinks Cat behavior patterns explained.

Disclaimer: Please use common sense. If you think you encounter a truly feral cat, don’t try to handle it. If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t try to touch any animal that is showing signs of aggression (in cats: hissing, spitting, growling, pulled back ears, arched back). You could get bitten and seriously injured. I don’t want that. You don’t want that. Be smart.