You may have recently seen a cat up for adoption called Nebula, or Nebbie for short. She came into our care three months ago having been found stray with an injured eye. Nebbie gave birth, somewhat unexpectedly, to 2 kittens during her first night of being in RSPCA care. We initially thought Nebbie was a semi feral cat as she was extremely wary of people and unwilling to let anyone get near her or her kittens. In her foster home she would lash out so ferociously that the foster family feared for the safety of her babies! We made the decision to move her to another foster home with experience of caring for semi feral cats and kittens so we could make a proper assessment of Nebbie and begin the process of socialising her kittens.
Nebbie surprised us all and transformed from a growly, hissy ball of fluff into a big purring softie who loved nothing more than to curl up on her foster carer’s lap. She must have been someone’s cat at some point and it was so sad to think how she must have ended up as she was. Thankfully the purrfect home came forward for Nebbie and she moved to her forever home at the weekend. She didn’t make it easy, but that’s to be expected. We received a lovely email update from her adopter 48 hours later:
”Thank you to everyone involved in the adoption process, Nebbie is an amazing addition, she is a lovely gentle soul who has settled in well, she is eating well, using her litter tray and enjoys playing and being groomed and stroked.
You have all done a great job in gaining human trust in a feral cat. I am with her now at the end of her process and would never have known she had once been a street cat. I am following the advice given by Nebbie’s foster mum. The information and advice has been great. Thank you all again.”
So now it is the turn of her kittens to find a forever home following rehab in one of our foster homes that specialise in winning round scaredy kits. Volunteer Nina tells us all:
“Pocket Rocket and Grootie Patootie are an adorable pair of boys who came to us for socialisation after being weaned from their mum – she hadn’t been keen on their foster carer handling them so they were quite unsure of the “uprights”. They were very shy to begin with and we kept them in a dedicated room so we had easier access to them for socialisation and playtime. They slowly but surely came round to the idea that the humans are okay after all, and now they both quite enjoy a bit of fussing and petting. They can still be hand shy, but once you pick them up they are purring away like little tractor engines. Rocket is a little more placid and more of a snuggle bug than Groot, and he has become quite fond of sitting on a lap for cuddles and a snooze. Groot is more boisterous and is more likely to want to bop your hand and wriggle round fighting with a toy or a blanket than settle for cuddles. He does love a good head and chin rub though. They both love each other very much and are never far apart – if one goes for a drink, the other follows; they’ll stick their head in the same food bowl even when there are two bowls; I’ve even seen them having joint poop time on more than one occasion! They are quite happy around our resident cats and will play chase with the younger one (1 year old) but they’re a bit too cheeky for the older ones.
They are both incredibly high energy and love nothing more than charging around playing rough-and-tumble with each other or chasing after toys – I find them scattered all around the house as they love carrying them round in their mouths (adorable!). Their motivation for play was very useful in getting them to enjoy human contact – a little jingle of a bell always has them popping their heads out of wherever they’re hiding!
It has taken them a while to become brave with exploring outside of their room, so they might need a little help when the time comes for opening up extra areas for them to explore and play in. They can still be very wary of new or loud sounds so I make sure they have “safe spaces” in each room that they can dart into when they are feeling unsure (behind the sofa, under the bed, a table with a blanket draped over the side). They come back out soon enough, and a meaty treat stick can help with that!
They don’t seem fussy over what they eat and haven’t turned their noses up at anything that I’ve offered them but seem to prefer chunks over flakes. They’ve had whiskas and felix, in gravy and jelly forms. For their dry food they’ve had Hills Science Plus and Whiskas kitten – they also munch on our resident cats James Wellbeloved, so they’re not fussy over their kibble either! They were happy to be groomed and in the recent hot weather they didn’t mind having their fur dampened (stroking them with wet hands) to help keep them cool.”
As you can see they have come such a long way and are now ready to take the next step to find their final destination. It has taken a real team effort to help this family of three, but what a result it has been. We are so incredibly lucky to have such dedicated staff and volunteers at the RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch, who invest so much time and love into caring for the animals no one wants. We are certain this cheeky pair of 12 week old brothers are destined for a happy ever after thanks to the contribution of so many outstanding people.
They are looking for an adult only home with no more than two or three people who are experienced rescue cat adopters adept at bringing out the best in shy kitties. They can live with other cats, but tend to annoy any that are 3 and over with their kitty antics. They are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and are looking for a home together.
If you can offer the boys the forever home they deserve please email adoptions@rspca-manchesterandsalford.org.uk
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