'She needed us, and we needed her.'
Please tell us a little bit about yourselves and your rescue pets
We are an elderly couple, and we’ve always had animals, especially cats. We always believed that cats were the smartest animals, and able to emotionally bond with humans. We have had multiple cats in the past, but at our stage in life, we thought one was enough. Our 14-year-old cat had died, and we thought she would be the last pet. That made us so sad. So, we thought that a KLAWS adoption might be for us.
What made you decide to adopt?
Elsa came through KLAWS socialized, clean and inoculated. We had her neutered at the wonderful Ark clinic. A great job, not so much as an itch afterwards. Elsa gave the wound one lick and never touched it again. The great thing about KLAWS is that a history comes with the animal, plus advice on what to do next. In this case, 'go with the cat', and 'give her time'. ‘Stay calm'
How did you find Elsa?
The publicity for KLAWS is very visible - cute pictures popping up on Facebook all the time. There was something about Elsa. She had had a bad time. Very reserved but showing signs of sociability. Giving head butts. She does that a million times a day now. My husband Dave calls them 'hip-hops'. She is very sociable now. She is the one cat of the house, so we spend lots of time in play. Tunnel runs and ping pong balls bounced on the stairs are her favourites. So, I saw her picture on Facebook, and a bit of her story from her foster mother. Sold!
What have been the highlights of your life with Elsa?
Highlights, after hiding for 2 days, crawling onto my knee for a chin rub. Like her, we love David Attenborough – see photos. Getting her into the carrier to go to the vet. Patience and calm won the day here. She is relaxed about getting in, but it took a long time, delaying her vet visits until she was ready.
Have you had to face any challenges with regards to bringing home and living with Elsa? If so, how have you overcome or coped with them?
We were very anxious that we couldn't get Elsa to get in the box to get her to the vet for her shots, but on Kris's advice, just waited for her to be ready. We didn't want her to be spooked by the sight of the box. We waited a few weeks and now she trusts us, that she will always be safe with us. Now she is not worried around humans at all.
If you could describe Elsa in just three words, what would they be?
Three words that describe her: VERY WELL BEHAVED. She doesn't wake us at night or claw the furniture. She is fun and absolutely adorable. We were so sad after our las cat died, and we weren't recovering. Elsa made us recover. she needed us, and we needed her, but we understand she needs us to put her first to have the best possible life. She is also incredibly SMART!
We were glad of the advice we got from KLAWS. It is soundly based on Feline Behaviour Theory, so going back to my own training for teaching, I got The Good Cat Parent's Guide to Feline Behaviour Modification. It contains lots of tips to help with managing cat behaviour. Really, it is a good idea to centralise a new cat to the household. A bit like having a new baby in the house. But this is how it should be.
Do you have any advice for people who are thinking about adopting a rescue pet?
Everyone has to review their role a little. But the new addition has special needs. We had to wrap our staircase in carboard for a couple of months to keep her out of danger.
