Cat Picture of the Week: Baby
Baby is our sweet Tortie, a kitten rescue that we adopted a few years back. Part of a feral cat litter, she was the skinniest, most misshapen cat we had ever seen, with stringy dark fur, long legs, and the saddest eyes. No amount of cat bathing or grooming improved the look, either. It seemed her heritage was Heinz-57, with orange and white tabby legs and a mix of every other cat combobulation imaginable. We figured that no one else would take her if we didn't, but she certainly surprised us when she grew into a 12-pound Norwegian Forest Cat!
She maintained the personality of her shy, feral mother, spending half of her life under beds or furniture, and still runs to hide when the doorbell rings. Not the most graceful cat in the world, she has brought us a lot of joy and laughter as we watch her play fetch with her toys and badminton with tinfoil balls. She currently holds the neighborhood title for best mouser, climber, and bird watcher.
© carolann
Cats Pictures of the Week are selected from general photo submittals. Baby's photo was submitted for - and will also appear in the November Tortoiseshell Gallery. Carol submitted several wonderful before and after photos of Baby, but I selected this one because it epitomizes the inherent glamour of tortie girls.
You may send your own photo, using the guidelines on the Photo Submittal page. Sorry, but I won't be able to publish photos without all the requested information.
Comments
I recently agreed to keep a resued feral cat. Boo is a black female, was first seen in the woods near my friend’s house last Autumn. She was still a kitten, and my friend tried to catch her, couldn’t and figured the kitty was a goner. But once in a while throughout the Winter, Boo was spotted, still alive, still afraid of everyone. This Summer, Boo gave birth to a litter of kittens and hid them in an unused chimney in my friends’ house. My friend would put out food once in a while, once she realized the kittens were there, also. She is preparing to move, soon, and caught the kittens in a live trap and turned them over to the Shelter. But she knew they would not keep the mother, since she was a totally feral adult cat. I said I would take her, if she caught her. She caught her in the live trap. I brought her home. She is due to have kittens soon, as she was evidently in heat when caught. The amazing part of this story is that she survived without major freeze damage, for a year, outdoors in Interior Alaska. Her ears show a small amount of freeze damage on the edges and part of her tail may have been freeze damaged. Her nose was damaged while fighting for her kittens, evidently, or a predator almost caught her, before we did. In the almost 2 months I have had her, she has became an affectionate little cat. She loves to be petted and brushed, but still will not allow anyone to pick her up and hides when anyone new comes in the house. She spends hours hiding, then decides to come out and be social. I do not crowd her, but keep letting her know she can get petted whenever she comes to me. She spends quiet evenings sitting in an armchair near me, purring and relaxed. I am glad I agreed to share my home with her. She is a very nice little cat. Very small for her age.