Louis was one of our more challenging cases but with a very happy ending. Louis is a young, handsome black and white cat who originally came to us as a newborn with his semi-feral mum. The old lady had died leaving about 11 semi-feral cats. He was a slightly quieter kitten and was homed with a lady who had another older female cat. The other cat bullied Louis mercilessly and nearly a year later she decided that it was getting worse and Louis was not coping. We took him back and he had turned into a terrified little creature, almost it seemed, reverting back to semi-feral behaviour. We tried him in a quiet separate area in Karen's home but he was still frightened of hearing other animals around. He then went to Joan, one of our most experienced foster carers, a super, quiet and loving environment. Even there he was terrified of everything. There were signs of affection but he could not get past his fear. We had almost given up hope, as Louis was too domesticated and frightened of other animals to live at a stables and yet appeared not to cope in a quiet, home environment either. Putting him in a pen for months on end was not an option. Then a miracle happened. A lovely lady, a friend of Lucy, heard about Louis and decided that she would take on this lost soul. Louis moved in with his new owners and we all held our breath, fearing the worst. . . but it was love at first sight! He was a different cat. He absolutely loved his new owners and vice a versa. ARC still covers Louis' vet bills as his new home wasn't really prepared for this new addition to their lives. It was just meant to be. There's someone for everyone, as they say, and you never know when that special someone will come along. |
