The summer continued and so did the kitty-traffic. A cat was brought into the clinic after being in a accident. However, she did not have an owner, at least, not one that we could locate. She spent three weeks in hospitalization, only thanks to one doctor at the clinic who refused to euthanize her. It was a difficult call though, since the cat had been hit on the head by the car.
She was suffering from brain damage.

At first, she had no awareness of what food and water was, let alone what to do with a litter tray. She also went blind because of the accident. The first couple of days, they had to force-feed her while she recovered. She could stand in front of the bowl, even have the food pressed against her nose and she would still not respond, although she was clearly malnourished. After a couple of days though, she regained some awareness of what food was and although she still needed some help, was able to eat and drink.

However, she still had no clue of what a litter tray was. She also did not know where she was, and the blindness continued. It was decided that she would get one more week to recover, and learn how to use a litter tray. Because, be honest. Who is going to adopt a cat who is not capable of using a litter tray or going outside? She recovered ever so slowly. But she did improve. She asked for cuddles, and followed the sound of your footsteps throughout the clinic. She purred happily when she was fed and finally realized that she put her paw in the water or food bowl when she did. All these little signs were so hope giving, if it weren’t for that damned litter tray-issue.

The weekend was near and on Monday she was to be euthanized if she wasn’t potty-trained. Then, on Friday, in the evening, we noticed her checking out the litter tray. She used it. We cheered. But we also knew that if she was to only use it occasionally, it would not be enough. Luckily, the doctor that was fighting for her, was on duty that weekend, and she was happy to report on Monday, that our kitty was potty-trained once more. She got another shot at life.

There was only one more problem: she had been in hospi for three weeks and could stay there no more. She was not happy to be there and the other doctors weren’t exactly thrilled to have her there. A new home was to be found. But until that time, I decided to help my sweet doctor out of the jam she was in, and took the kitty home. The doctor herself would have done it, but she had already taken a blind cat home recently (her story will soon follow), and her household was getting rather cramped and was still in an uproar.

I put the cat in the bathroom. It was the only room I still had left. And no, it was not much room, but she didn’t need that much, since she was still getting used to being blind. During the day she got the bedroom as well. Why the division? Well, at the time my cats were still getting used to the kittens, and I did not leave them alone unsupervised. That meant, that when we were sleeping, the kittens(Falcor and Arwen) were locked in with us and Lappie, as the blind cat had been baptized by our sweet doctor, was locked in the bathroom. During the day, the kittens could roam the house with the big cats under the supervision of my boyfriend, so Lappie got the bedroom added to her territory then. I had, once more, 6 cats in the house, and the strain was more than present.

The search for a new home was started. Notes were posted at the entrance of the clinic, and more were to be found at the desk, right next to where most people have to be to pay their bill. Meanwhile, Lappie was growing stronger, and regained a wee bit of her sight. Unfortunately, she could only distinguish shadows, which made her incredibly paranoid. Imagine, you are a cat, who relies for communication on body posturing (meowing is reserved for humans mostly), and you are not able to read the body posture of the thing in front of you. You are aware though, that there is something in front of you, since you can see shadows. What is your immediate reaction? Growling, hissing, and if it comes closer, whacking without using nails, all in a futile attempt to warn it away from you.

It took me a while to get her to accept me. I never won her trust since she wasn’t long enough with me for that. Besides, the shape of the room did not help. All she saw was a really big shadow standing over her, and the room was not that big, so she was always in the way when I had to walk through the bedroom. Until she discovered she could crawl under the bed. Every time she heard me coming, she did that, since she had no idea what to expect. Hardly a convenient situation to build up trust. She did allow me to pet her if I went towards her ever so gently and let her sniff everything really thoroughly, and even pick her up for the slightest of instants. It was a far cry to what she had done at the clinic though. There she cuddled, followed, purred and even allowed you to hold her (very remarkable for a blind cat, since they tend to panic coz they do not know how far they are from the ground when you hold them). She needed her own home, and fast

Fortunately, I got a call from a girl who had just recently moved nearby, and was looking for another cat. Friends of hers had informed her about Lappie. She had a cat, but it was a shy one and not very cuddly. She was hoping Lappie would be. And since she was used to approaching her own cat very quietly, and lived alone with no kids, it seemed to be an ideal home. Lappie was transferred there, we exchanged phone numbers and I told her she could call me anytime if there was a problem with Lappie. I spent an entire evening at her place to install Lappie and to evaluate the situation. Everything seemed to be going according to schedule. She did call me, after a few days, saying that Lappie had blood in her feces. It turned out to be hairballs and the problem was swiftly solved.

After a month or so though, I got another call from her, saying that she was worried her cat and Lappie would never get along. I, again, went to her place, observed the cats and explained their behavior to her. It was true, Lappie and her cat were still fighting out who gets what territory. And with Lappies handicap, it was going to take longer than normal. The owner was reassured and I left her with some tricks and tips to help the situation along.

Two months later, I got another call. Although the owner and Lappie were doing great, things between the cats were not that great. They were stuck in a guerilla war, where Lappie had the bathroom and the kitchen as her territory, and Pruts, the other cat, had the bedroom of the owner and the living. Pruts was also not letting Lappie near the owner, and chased after her frequently. The owner said she felt bad about it, but she felt that Lappie would be better off in a home where she didn’t experience that much stress. Even if Lappie had wanted to cuddle the owner, she was never allowed to, and chased for doing so.

So I, again, put up the posters to find Lappie a new home, and I am still looking for one. The doctor is inclined to take her home (one blind cat or two…what does it matter), but her parents take care of her cats when she is on holiday, and the third addition was already pushing it. I see her taking Lappie in though, if no other solution is found. Luckily, the current owner told me Lappie could stay as long as needed to find a new home, so we have no deadlines or pressure here. I also told the doctor, that if she does take Lappie in, I will take care of her cats while she is away so she doesn’t have to feel bad about it.

I, in any case, am not taking Lappie in permanently. I think she would be way stressed out in a house of five cats, two of which are still too playful. They would tease the life out of her. She is welcome to stay for a while though, if need be. That was the deal. When I handed her over, I told the current owner that if it does not work out, she could always return her to me. And I will gladly do so if need be.

At the moment though, we are still hopeful of finding her a good home somewhere, where she is preferably an only cat. She is still mostly blind so she does not need a garden and she handles herself very well. She is not clingy or demanding, although she will enjoy a cuddle, and manages to take care of herself and keep herself entertained just fine. She is a wonderful kitty, so I have no doubt we will find her a new home soon.

Believe it or not, this was the last kitten to be welcomed in my home this summer. And we were all up for a break, trust me. I did enjoy it immensely. I felt like I had a goal in life. So I decided to make contact with a non-profit-organization which puts stray cats into foster homes. I have always like the idea of running my own shelter, and this way, I would be able to do it, without some of the more severe risks (legal, administration, financial etc etc). Once Falcor is off to his new home, and maybe after we have moved (to reduce the stress on the cats a bit), we will start doing this on a more organized and permanent basis. I am certainly looking forward to it.