LEO

Not every cat wants to live with us humans, and that’s okay, we won’t hold it against them😊

With stray or feral rescue cats, there is a cut-off point, so to speak, after which it is almost impossible to fully socialise them. That point comes at around 12 weeks, and once a kitten hits that age, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to ever fully socialise them. And with most cats, the best thing to do in that case is to get them neutered as soon as possible and let them go and live their lives in the wild, or perhaps on a farm.

However, sometimes, with a lot of patience and TLC, a kitten who’s at that critical age can become socialised and sometimes they’ll even grow up to be a full-on cuddle bunny😊 Over the years, we have seen a few of those feline guys and gals, and their journeys truly seem like absolutely pawsome transformations.

This is Leo's Story.

Leo’s fosterer Sarah:

We took Leo in as a feral foster kitten, as his last chance to be tamed. He was about 3-4 months old. The first night he arrived, he caused us so much stress, as he was so wild and so quick, he escaped whilst transferring him.

Somehow, he managed to find a hole in the wall where he hid for the night. My heart was pounding all night and got barely any sleep, but we had left food out and had a nanny cam, so we saw that he was out and about, but when we went into the kitchen, he was back in the wall.  As soon as the vets opened, we went and hired a trap and bought the smelliest fish going, a nice bit of tuna. We left the house and monitored the nanny cam, and bingo – we had him! We rushed home and took the trap and our crate to the vet's where he was transferred safely.

He lived in his crate in the bathroom, and at first, he just stared at us. He was terrified. As the days went by, he started to look a bit more relaxed; and it was when our other cats stared going in to visit him that we noticed a huge difference.

Food and water and clean litter were given to him using tongs, as he would hiss and attack us.

He stared purring and slow blinking at us but would still hiss and attack if we went near him.  Then he started coming closer to the edge of the crate and putting his paw out to Claudia, my teenage daughter who fosters with me. She gave him a lickable treat, and that was it – they were best friends. Slowly but surely, he would let Claudia stroke his head while he ate and then started coming out a bit and sitting on Claudia's lap. He seemed to like the attention.

After a while, he was ready to go into the sitting room to be with the other foster kittens. He absolutely loved this and adored the other cats and kittens, taking care of them. Still very nervous, he was put up for adoption to go to someone that would have the time to help him adjust and give him lots of love.

This was very hard for us as fosterers, but soon Sarah answered the ad. She sounded perfect and agreed to take another kitten with him, as he felt so safe in the company of other kittens.

When we dropped Leo off, the other kitten had to wait a week due to a cold. It was the hardest goodbye; but it was so rewarding to see that when we dropped Lucy off the week later, Leo went and sat next to Sarah, which seemed to confirm his gratitude.

Leo’s adopter Sarah:

I saw Leo on the KLAWS website and fell in love instantly. It took all the tips KLAWS and Sarah had given me as well as a bit of time, but he eventually got to the point where he allowed me to pet him and even play with him.

Once he had gotten used to the residents of the house, including the one-year-old tabby Lily, he grew in confidence and seemed content when Lucy arrived. Having been fostered together, they were already great friends but being cast in the role of protective older brother made his personality blossom almost overnight. He showed her all the best spots in the house, and his new toys. They taught Lily how to play and chase.

When Leo saw Lucy asleep in my lap, he decided to give it a go, and we haven't stopped cuddling since.  I'm very happy to say he is a charming and confident guy who is adored by his whole family.