Bobbie Thompson
I don’t usually set aside one full column on a success story, but this one is the exception. Betsy came to ARF in the summer of 2008 with her sister, Blair. Blair was adopted a long time ago, but Betsy remained. They both are on the cover of ARF’s 2009 calendar. All the animals on the cover of that calendar were adopted except for Betsy — until Jan. 2, 2010. That day changed Betsy’s life. That’s the day Betsy went home.
Vic had been thinking about adopting a cat friend for his cat, Bebe, and himself, and we’ve been e-mailing about it for a few months. Vic came to ARF just before Christmas and, yes, I kinda pushed Betsy toward him. Betsy was put into his arms and, for Betsy, it was love at first sight. She purred, meowed (she’s a talker), she rolled in his arms. Betsy never acts that way! She’s playful, but never cares that much about being held.
Vic had to wait until Jan. 2 to adopt her. He came in, and the rest is wonderful history.
Below are the e-mails I have been receiving from Vic (with minor editing) and are being used with his permission.
8:33 p.m. Jan. 3, 2010 (The day after adoption)
She [Betsy] is a great cat. At the moment she’s sleeping under the bed. I think she’s claimed it as her safe, comfortable place, although she napped on the top of the cat tree yesterday. I’m grateful for the reassurance that Bebe will finally accept Betsy. She seems to really dislike Betsy. But they were actually both in the living room earlier. Bebe wouldn’t get close, of course, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. I’m already in love with Betsy, and I can tell she’s infatuated with me, too.
7:03 p.m. Jan. 4, 2010 (I asked Vic to write something about adopting Betsy.)
No, thank you, but I’m happy to give you the highlights so you can add it to your column. You always say you need more cat lovers, and the thing about cats is that a person can try to pick them, but it’s usually the cat that decides who to go home with. Kittens are usually too young to decide who they like, so they’ll grow to love most people as long as they’re treated well. I took a chance when I got Bebe. I saw her and wasn’t real impressed, and as soon as I put her back in the cage she just started playing with a little toy mouse and was completely indifferent to anyone watching her. Plus she had chewed on my finger a little, too. But I left the shelter and looked around at the pet store and even drove to the next city over to check out both of their animal shelters and pet store, and Bebe was just the one that I liked best. But she grew to love me almost immediately, and I loved her, too.
She's definitely a lap cat, and sometimes when she's content laying on you and being petted and she doesn’t think the purring is enough, she’ll touch my arm with her teeth — a kiss, since she can’t pucker. She just pulls her lips back and touches the teeth, doesn’t open her mouth at all. Betsy actually did the same thing the day I got her when I was holding her at ARF. Then she kissed my goatee — she’s obsessed with it and keeps rubbing her cheek on it at home.
You’re definitely right that eventually Bebe will accept Betsy. Today I was sitting on the couch drinking coffee. Betsy was laying in the recliner, and Bebe jumped on the couch, got under the blanket and sat in my lap. That’s a big change in her attitude since she doesn’t seem to want to show affection when Betsy could see it. And she’s stopped growling when Betsy is within five feet of her, too. She still tries to run Betsy off when she thinks she’s too close, though. But Betsy won't bother being intimidated, especially since Bebe is smaller than her, so she just ignores it and goes back to playing.
10:54 p.m. Jan. 4, 2010
I’m so proud of Bebe. She is making leaps and bounds in the toleration department. Tonight I was in the kitchen and gave her a treat while Betsy was looking out the window (she discovered that joy earlier today and has been staring almost nonstop for at least five hours now). Betsy came over to investigate why the two of us were in the kitchen, saw Bebe eating the treat and sniffed Bebe’s tail. Bebe turned around and walked to the other side to let Betsy taste [the treat], and when Betsy decided she didn’t want it, went back to eating it herself! I never would have expected it to happen this soon.
I’ve added his e-mails for several reasons. I think it’s important to show there are folks who love cats and want them to be totally indoor cats. They understand cats and recognize that keeping us in the loop through the transition process of shelter to new home is important.
This adoption also shows that adopting an adult cat doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. Bebe, Vic’s first cat, had a few issues, but Vic worked with her. His resident cat absolutely hated Betsy, but Vic was patient, and the two cats came to accept each other and will become close friends. Betsy is a 2 1/2 year old cat who spent her whole life at ARF, yet she’s so well socialized and confident that she could adjust quickly. I’m not saying that all cats will be that easy, but we do know, from the people who return our animals that it’s almost always the unsocialized pet at home who is the problem. Yet, with understanding and working with all the pets in the home, it can work.
Perfect harmony between animals is not always going to happen and rarely happens immediately, especially when the animals aren’t properly introduced and supervised. Even with proper introductions, animals can take several weeks to accept each other.
Don’t be afraid to adopt a second or third pet, but please have the understanding and patience it takes to make it work.
