Checkers has been at HES over a year and shes in the Beach House Roaming Room. I feel I have failed Checkers somewhat. Whenever I visited, she would watch from a distance. She gave me a sign: I do not want to be picked up. Naturally, I didnt think this applied to me. I spent many days chasing Checkers; then tried the subtle route of sitting still and letting her come to me. She would come closer and I would try to pet her. She would run yelling, Cant you read my sign?! Don’t rush me! I gave up on her and moved on. Recently HES had a very successful adopt-a-thon. I went to the Beach House to see who was left behind afterwards. A cat approached me. I picked it up, rubbed its head a minute. It didnt seem thrilled but let me. I searched the room for Checkers. I went back to the cat who approached me, picked it up and petted it some more. I set the cat down, gave her a good looking over and said….OMG its Checkers! Weve both added a few pounds over the summer. :) I picked up Checkers for a 3rd time wanting to show anyone…Look Im holding Checkers! She gave me the warning, you are pressing your luck. You know what happened next. Ouch! Over-petting, my fault. I sat down, patted the floor, she came over and laid down next to me. Ive said before that Im not a cat expert. Ive owned 5 cats in 20 yrs, including 1 stray. But my thinking is, previously there may have been too many siblings for Checkers liking. Possibly she was intimidated by them and therefore lashing out. This can be a common occurrence in the roaming rooms because, just like humans, all personalities don’t always mesh. Sometimes it’s too stressful of a situation for a cat and they let us know they are not happy. I can tell Checkers is noticeably more at ease now and so can other volunteers. Several of us have exchanged proud, “I petted Checkers!” Or, “Checkers let me hold her!” All thinking we were special only to realize she was letting us all love on her. Checkers has always been social, i.e. nosey. She isnt a needy, clingy cat and may not win any Miss Congeniality awards. Plenty of us would be cranky too if we had 15 roommates! She shows all the signs of being an excellent family member once she gets in her own home and knows who she will be interacting with on a daily basis. Now that she is less stressed she is loving, returns affection, and is interested in being social, i.e. nosey. But she is in need of finding her Forever Home! She just needs someone to see what a diamond in the ruff she really is. Someone please take a chance on Checkers! She has already proven she has a lot of potential! -Volunteer Andrea
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 16:42:44 +0000