FIVE nervous cats who were rescued after being left alone for several weeks are getting used to human company again by listening to stories.
Staff at the RSPCA Bluebell Ridge Cat Rehoming Center in Hastings read to the group of felines every day to build their confidence around people, after a long time without human contact.
Lily, Babs, Pickle, Nutmeg and Basil were rescued from a property in Kent last month where there were 13 cats and no owners as they had gone to hospital.
The RSPCA has said living on a property with such a large number of cats means they have been deprived of the attention and socialization they need and are very wary of people.
One of the cats, Nutmeg, when she was rescued
But literary therapy seems to work on shy felines.
Myra Grove, manager of the Bluebell Ridge Cat Rehoming Center, said: “Unfortunately, the former owner of these cats had gone to the hospital and no one had looked after them for several weeks before the RSPCA was alerted.
“Since they had a rough start in life, we worked hard to socialize these cats and took a hands-on approach, which meant we sat with them and read to them so they could start to get used to it. . to human society.
“We’ve already seen some fantastic improvements with some of the cats gaining confidence and starting to accept human interaction, which has been amazing to see.”
Basil and nutmeg
Staff read a collection of books called Warrior Cats, a feline fantasy series by Erin Hunter, to help nervous swimmers get used to human voices.
Myra said: “They have all come in leaps and bounds since arriving here and reading to them really helps build their confidence.
“We thought it was okay to give them stories about cats as well.”
All cats will need an adult-only, patient and loving home with no other pets so that their confidence can continue to grow.
Nutmeg, a white tortoiseshell female, seeks relocation with one-year-old basil.
Babs, Lily and Pickle
The center seeks to find Lily, Pickle and Babs together because the three females are very close.
Myra added, “Basil needs more time to learn to trust people, although he has started to fall asleep while a member of the team sits quietly with him.
“Nutmeg will stay while a member of the team talks and reads to her, but she’s not ready for contact yet, so the process will likely be slow.
“Any adopter will need to be patient and kind to these nervous cats and understand that they may never be cowardly cats but they will make fantastic companions and their confidence improves all the time.
Anyone interested in adopting Lily, Pickle, Babs, Basil or Nutmeg should contact the RSPCA Sussex East and Hastings branch on 01424 752121.
To find more cats for adoption, visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-29 16:00:00
