April 9 is Flower Day. While we do not know her birthdate or age for certain, I am going based on information I know of her history and information from the veterinarian regarding her physical condition. Today, we are celebrating Flower’s 15th Birthday.
If you would like to participate in Flower Day, the ask is that you do an Act of Kindness in Honor of Flower to counteract the extreme abuse she has suffered in her life. I’m sure you have read the prior three installments of Flower’s specific story. In addition to the blog posts specifically about her, Flower has appeared and been mentioned on this website on and off for the past 6+ years.
Flower had another medical appointment back in March to look more into her physical injuries and to see if there are any other issues. The vet office was sure that they found Flower’s unicorn – a forever home with a person who would be perfect. It was an older woman in her 80s, whose cat just died from kidney disease and her home is not a home without a cat.
However, when the vet did a more thorough examination of Flower including extensive bloodwork, combined with her behavior at the vet office and the behavior I report that she does in my home, it has been determined that Flower is a hospice situation.
Flower will be staying with me until a decision needs to be made regarding her quality of life, pain levels, and euthanasia.
It is not fair for this other person who just lost their beloved cat to take on another cat who is at the end of their life. At the same time, it would not be fair to Flower for her to leave me now. She is terrified of other people. Flower growled at the vet office. She has failed every meet and greet with anyone interested in adopting her. Flower hides. If she goes to another home now, she will hide for weeks or even months.
How would that person know she is in pain unless they have a camera on her all the time like I do? How would they be able to give her the medication she needs daily if she hides from you.
If Flower only has a few months to live, it is not fair to her to have to spend her last few months learning to trust a stranger.
Flower is afraid of my house cats. Yes, it would probably be best for her to be an only pet. However, she is very attached to me. She rubs on me, licks me, and allows me to administer her medication every day. She does not hide from me. I have been working with this cat every single day when she was outside for the past 6 years before she finally went into the trap. How long would it take for her to get used to a new person?
Part of the reason why Flower is so scared of the house cats – Flower is going blind. This is one of her MANY medical issues. She is not blind yet, but her vision is very poor and getting worse. She can see them, hear them, and smell them. But I think sometimes they get close to her before she can register they are there, and her default is to hiss because she does not have enough time to decide if they are friend or foe.
The house cats have been nothing but patient and kind to Flower. No one has hissed or growled back at her. When Flower hisses at them, they run away or give her more space.
Is this a perfect situation? No, it is not. But this is the best situation for Flower knowing that she is at the end of her life.
The vet office has given Flower a medication for her arthritis to try to improve her quality of life. It can take 4-6 weeks to work – IF it works. At this point, I am trying to keep her comfortable and let her know she is loved. When it gets to a point where she is in pain from the arthritis and the pain cannot be managed or her quality of live decreases, it will be time to say goodbye.
I am still calling Flower a Foster. I never planned on having a fourth cat. I was completely shocked the shelter here would not respond to an injured cat. I truly thought she would only be with me for a few months and then would be adopted into a forever home. I didn’t realize this is a geriatric, medically complex cat. She would have died outside this past winter if she hadn’t gone into the trap last fall.
She is with me as a hospice until she passes. There are people who foster pets who are hospice. It is called fospice when that situation happens.
Flower is no longer available for adoption.
If Flower had been taken in by the shelter last fall, she would have been euthanized. She is truly a hospice situation. She is too medically complex for rehoming.
She will be staying with her foster family permanently until it is time for her to be euthanized from her injuries.
Yes, she would do better being with someone where she could be the only pet in a home. However, it is going to be more stressful for her to leave me and learn to trust a stranger at the end of her life. She is comfortable with me. I know her habits now, I’m home a lot, and she has a camera on her all the time. (Sometimes I wake up to 50+ 10-30 second videos of her just stretching or rolling over in her cat bed.)
I’m trying to show Flower all the love she never had. I’m treating every day like it may be her last. Now that I know she is hospice, I’m glad I took extra time to show Flower Santa on NORAD at Christmas and included her in our family activities. Will Flower see another Christmas? I don’t know. But at least I know she had one Christmas with me inside, warm, fed and loved.
I’m not sure if Flower will have other birthdays. I hope that she does. I want to show her all the love she didn’t have for so long. We will see. These things are beyond our control. It all depends on her ongoing medical status.
Today we say, Happy 15th Birthday, Flower! Please do an Act of Kindness for Flower Day on April 9 to push back on all the evil Flower has experienced in life.
Quite a few things are going on with Flower. I will give an update on her progress and challenges as well as what helps and what doesn’t help.
Flower is not ready for adoption. She does not wander around independently unless I am not upstairs. That’s why I have a camera on her. With her mobility issues, I need to see if she is walking normally or limping. If she will not walk around enough when I am around for me to be able to tell, then I view her on camera.
Flower is terrified of other people. If she hides from me when I go upstairs unexpectedly, how many months will she hide from a person she doesn’t know in a new house? If Flower is adopted now, that person will be starting from square one trying to earn her trust and socialize her. Her progress over these past four months will be lost.
I am a permanent work from home. She seems me multiple times throughout the day. Even when she does not see me, she hears me all day long. I work in a call center. I literally talk all day. If you are a person who works outside the home 8 hours a day, how are you going to socialize her? Hope she will come out from hiding for the 15 minutes you have to spend with her?
I paint a rosy picture of Flower on social media highlighting her progress and how cute she is. I don’t talk about the struggles and the frustration. If I keep things positive and cute, then someone will be interested in adopting her and reach out for more information.
Someone on social media said I need to update Flower’s information for potential adopters because it is too harsh.
I painted a rose-colored picture. If you think the information I have provided is too harsh, then you truly have no idea of how extensive her needs are and how hard it is trying to find someone who will take on a senior disabled cat with extreme PTSD.
So, if Flower is not ready for adoption, then why did I post the information about her? I posted it because someone forced my hand. I needed to put the information out there because if I didn’t someone who is completely unaware of Flower, her medical needs, or her personality was going to post it instead.
Let me explain.
This is where we get into the pros and cons of keyboard warriors and how social media is helping or not helping this situation.
At Christmas, some well-meaning person did a huge social media push saying they wanted to see Flower adopted in time for Christmas. Was Flower ready for adoption? No. In December, she was still recovering from her injuries. I was still working with the vet office on medication, etc. She was nowhere close to being ready for a forever home.
However, as the result of this well-meaning person wanting to see her adopted before Christmas, some other person, out in AZ reached out. I don’t know this person. They don’t follow me. They don’t know Flower, her story, her medical needs, or her personality. They said they were going to post an adoption link that Thursday.
Excuse me. Who are you?
What was this person going to post? I was frantic thinking I needed to get out in front of this. (A VERY founded concern, as you will see later.)
Because I felt under threat from an unknown person who was going to list Flower, I felt I needed to post more with information about her. So, I did. I posted it. She is not ready for adoption, but I truly felt my hand was forced due to some well-meaning person on the internet.
What about the person in AZ who was going to post?
Well, they did. On Facebook marketplace, one of the most sleezy places of ill repute on the internet. Then I was flooded with inquiries asking if she was available for target practice (to shoot), if the dog fighting ring could “finish her off,” and if she was “good with dogs.”
It was alarming and heartbreaking.
All of this occurred at Christmas, making the holiday even more stressful for me than it already was. All thanks to some keyboard warrior.
Yes, Flower needs a forever home, but this is not the way to do it. Abusing me and forcing Flower into situation she is not ready for is not the way to successfully get her into a forever home.
We will continue with this downward spiral of social media, and then I will let you know the positives it has provided.
But continuing this downward escalator …
I had someone contact me saying Flower needs to go to a local shelter for adoption, as I am not making good choices for her. First, all the local shelters are full. They won’t take her. That’s how we got into this foster mess, remember? Second, even if they weren’t full, she would be euthanized upon intake due to her age and disability. Third, in the very, very small chance they took pity and did not euthanize her (by some miracle), she would then be in a tiny cage surrounded by other cats and would hear barking dogs. This is a cat that is terrified of other cats and was used as bait as a dog fighting ring. Yet, you think those options: 1, 2, and 3, would all be better than what I am doing working with her in my home right now?
Someone else accused me of not being willing to give Flower up if the perfect adopter comes along. Not true. I cannot keep Flower, and I know that. She needs to be the only pet in a home. However, the perfect home has not come along yet. (Have you read anything written above?)
So far, I have had two genuine inquiries into Flower. Both people live 6 hours away. There would be distance to overcome, but I am willing to work with someone to figure things out if they are the perfect adopter. The first person admitted they would not be able to financially provide for Flower’s medical needs. I was grateful for their honesty. The second person, I did say Flower is not ready for adoption due to her behavior, and she needs more medical care in April. The soonest she MIGHT be ready is May. That person decided to leave the situation alone. I respect that.
Bottom line, Flower has a lot of needs I do not discuss because I don’t want to scare away potential adopters. The only people who have expressed interest are those who want to torture and abuse her further.
Now we get to the final negative point of social media before moving on to the positives. The final negative point: victim blaming.
I have been saying that Flower needs to leave by spring. Will she be ready to leave this spring? I don’t know. Probably not. I’m trying to go based on her behavior.
The problem is, I am running out of time.
As much as I want to go at Flower’s pace and set her up for success in a forever home, the fact remains we live in an area with violent neighbors. When they start attacking us in earnest again this spring, I won’t be able to keep us all safe. It’s going to be hard to care for Flower and get her ready for adoption when I am laying on the floor bleeding from a neighbor attack (no, the police won’t respond. Battery is not a crime here.)
Then comes the victim blaming. Someone on social media said the abuse is my fault. It’s my choice to live here and be abused and not moved.
As anyone who has known me for a long time knows, I have tried to get the abuse to stop. I want to move. But when apartment rents are more than my monthly income and I can’t get approved to rent, or won’t take cats, how am I supposed to leave? The mortgage company won’t approve a short sale of the house. I will have to stop paying the mortgage and voluntarily let it go into foreclosure to get my name off the deed. With a foreclosure on your record, you can’t get approved for an apartment.
Yet, according to this person on the internet, this is all my fault. It is my choice not to move. I could choose to be homeless and not be abused. Of course, then all the cats would be euthanized too, and I wouldn’t have to worry about fostering Flower. Thank you, keyboard warrior, for blaming the victim in a criminal harassment case. I understand I deserve to be abused simply because I exist. The village does not want working people who pay their bills to live here. We need more drug dealers and animal abusers.
This person even said, “I know you will probably block me for this …” and proceeded to blame the victim for the abuse. If you know victim blaming is wrong, why did you do it? Why did you kick someone when they are down and attack someone who is already struggling?
I did not block that person. Only out of shock. I previously had positive interactions with this person. I’m kind of hoping their conscious will kick in and they will apologize for their remarks because they know victim blaming is wrong.
Yes, I understand it is my choice to stay in this house and be abused by these people I don’t even know. I alternative is being homeless and having the cats all euthanized. Thank you for suggesting euthanasia as a viable option. I have medical professionals suggesting euthanasia too since I am someone who is supposed to “fall by the wayside.”
That is the downward spiral of social media. Keyboard warriors saying my rosy picture of Flower is too harsh, victims deserve to be abused (your other choices are euthanasia and homelessness – those are better!), and random people halfway across the country listing animals they know nothing about for adoption.
Yes, Flower needs a home.
I would keep her, but she truly needs to be an only pet. I do not give her that label lightly. I am going based on her behavior. I am going on what’s best for her (even though I have been accused of NOT doing what is best for her).
I do worry I am running out of time. If the neighbors would stop their behavior and not attack us, then I could go at Flower’s pace with everything. I have no problem working with her to get her into a forever home. The problem is that the sheriff department won’t respond to criminal harassment. They have some sort of special relationship with these people. I can’t afford or find a criminal lawyer. Those things take time. Every single time I have made a report or complained, I have gotten retaliation in the form of more injuries. I have been told if I complain again, my cats will be taken and used as bait for the dog fighting ring.
So, unless you are a criminal lawyer willing to help me …
Now that we have given a brief overview of the negativity I have experienced on social media since trapping and helping Flower, we will move to the positive. Yes, I truly did do a brief overview of negativity. I painted you another rosy picture of just how mean people have been to me.
The positivity –
There are many people who have been encouraging and helpful on social media. I have gotten encouraging comments and advice. Other fosters have reached out to help. I really need that, especially since the shelter is not helping me even with advice. I have never fostered before. I am truly on my own.
Some people I trust have been reaching out to their social networks trying to find an appropriate adopter for Flower. I truly appreciate their efforts.
People have donated gift cards to chewy and Amazon. I have not asked for financial help, but it has helped a LOT. I have gotten things for Flower. I am going through a lot more cat litter than before with two additional litter pans.
There have also been donations to my paypal, which has also been helpful. Flower means extra vet bills, and her appointments so far have all been emergency due to her injuries. She needed vaccines and blood tests.
Flower came in riddled with fleas and worms. I am having to Revolution Plus all the cats in this house. I have not had to deal with fleas in over a decade. The Revolution Plus is costing about $110 a month. That is an extra expensive I never expected and did not have prior to helping Flower.
The vet office always asks if we were using flea medication. I always said no. None of my house cats ever had fleas. The vet office checks them for fleas. They have none. They don’t go outside. Since Flower brought in fleas and worms, I now must treat everyone.
We are all struggling with the cost of living right now. While I will gladly provide everything for my cats that they need, the donations have been helpful in covering these extra expenses.
I had to get screens to screen off areas for Flower. I got baby food to administer her medication. She has her own blankets and toys. She needed some accessibility items like pet steps and elevated food and water bowls.
The pet community on social media has been generous with time and resources in helping me through this challenging time. I am trying to keep everyone safe and make good choices for everyone involved. When Flower leaves me and goes to her forever home, it truly needs to be her forever home. This cat already has severe PTSD. If she is adopted and returned, she will be even more traumatized. To be honest, if that happened, she may need to be euthanized at that point. I truly do not think this cat can handle any more trauma than she already has.
Flower is a sweetheart. She is gentle and loving. She is still scared of everything. She is attached to me but still has her moments when she hides from me. This is why I say she is not ready for adoption. She needs more confidence. Flower also hides from visitors. If she is adopted now, she will hide for MONTHS. If you work out of the house 8 hours a day, you will basically have a room mate cat you never see. Hopefully you have a camera so you can see if she is limping or not. Otherwise, you will have a traumatized cat who is in pan and not getting any help.
That’s not a life.
I want to set Flower up for success in a forever home. She can’t stay here because she is too stressed with my house cats. I can’t live in a divided house. Asking us to live in a divided house is not fair to any of us. I can’t keep her safe from neighbor attacks if she must be separate. We need to all be together to leave or find safety when they attack. So, she is going to be traumatized being thrown in with my house cats when that happens.
No one will stop the violent neighbors from attacking and physically injuring us. This is the reality in which we live.
I have hope that the right adopter will come along for Flower. Someone who has the time and patience to work with her. Someone who will take the time to get to know me and get to know Flower and when I say, “maybe May” will say, “ok, let’s keep talking and see how she is doing.”
People like the idea of Flower, but when I give detail of her medical needs and behavior, they realize they can’t handle her. That’s ok. I appreciate the honesty. Flower needs a good match. Flower needs to be the only pet in a home with an experience cat person. The person should be retired or WFH so they can spend the time she needs socializing her. This person needs to be comfortable with the needs of a senior, disabled cat.
Basically, Flower needs a unicorn.
That is exactly what Flower’s forever home Is going to be. A unicorn,
I would keep her, but I have THREE resident cats. I hold out hope that she will stop fearing them and she can just stay here. But based on Flower’s behavior, I can tell you that hope gets smaller each day. Flower would truly flourish in an only pet home. This situation is not sustainable for any of us. It is not fair to any of us either.
For all you keyboard warriors out there – think before you type. Would you say that in person? You know that victim blaming is wrong, yet you do it anyway? What the fuck is wrong with you?
Think about how your actions on the internet are impacting other people. You want Flower adopted before Christmas, only to have someone who doesn’t know her post something about her, and then the foster parent is inundated with abuse requests wanting to use her for target practice? Some Christmas that was.
Yes, Flower needs a forever home. No, she is not ready to leave yet. However, I fully believe her person is out there. Even though she is not ready to leave now, that person will reach out and start to ask questions and get to know both me and Flower so that all three of us can decide together when it is time for Flower to transition homes.
So yes, please keep sharing about Flower. Keep talking about her. Just because Flower is not ready yet, doesn’t mean people should not ask about adopting her. Because her perfect person is out there and will work with us to make the transition happen in the way that’s best for FLOWER.
Even though I have been accused of not being fair to Flower, I have only tried to do what is best for her from day one. I can tell you right now, it would have been a hell of a lot easier for me to just completely ignore her limping back in October. But I didn’t. I trapped her and got her medical care because she was injured. I’m giving her a home when the shelter said they were full and would not help. I’m refusing to euthanize her, when the rest of the world says she should be euthanized. (The vet says there is NO reason to euthanize this cat.) Yet somehow, I’m not being fair?
I’m not a perfect person. I’m just trying to help this injured cat.
Please keep sharing Flower. Her person is out there and will work with us to make it happen.
Flower was used as bait by a dog fighting ring. I have been very clear about that from day one. Some people have inquired about adopting Flower. I tell them she was used as bait by a dog fighting ring, tell them about her injuries, mobility issues and medical needs. People then proceed to ask me if she is okay with dogs?
I will no longer answer that question. This cat was brutally injured by dogs on purpose, then thrown out like trash. They either thought she was dead or just threw her out to die from her injuries. You think she can live with dogs? I taught pre-school for 15 years and always said there was no such thing as a stupid question. I stand corrected.
Now that Flower has been with me for two months as a foster, I have learned some things about her needs for a forever home and want to provide an update. Many people have asked. It is disheartening for me to detail things to people only to have them ask questions like “is she okay with dogs?”
If you intend to make a serious inquiry to adopt Flower, then you need to read all of this and be very clear about her needs. Do not waste my time with questions about things like dogs that I have clearly stated from day one: NO DOGS.
I don’t mean to be rude, but she deserves the BEST POSSIBLE forever home with ALL THE LOVE. This cat has been to HELL and back.
I never intended to foster. I am one person with three house cats of my own. I have a disability, I work full-time, and I experience continual and repeated criminal harassment from my neighbors that results in physical injury. Taking on Flower has been a challenge for me with everything else I am facing. It is very difficult for me to keep everyone safe with the way the neighbors behave. I have zero regrets about helping her. But I also don’t have spoons to deal with stupidity.
I am not an official foster. When I contacted the shelter to report her injury, they said they were full. They would not help. I trapped her and got her to medical care. The shelter is not offering any support or advice or help to find her a forever home. They are full and overwhelmed. Their attitude was to shrug and say, “oh well.” We do not have any humane charities here that responds to injured animals. I have no regrets about trapping her or helping her. I truly believe that if she was outside for another winter, she would have seized up with the arthritis and froze to death, unable to move to reach the insulated cat shelters I provide.
Back to Flower’s needs:
Flower needs to be adopted by an experienced cat person. However, she needs to be the ONLY PET in the home. She would be perfect for someone who may have lost a furbaby and is ready to love again.
Flower has been here for two months. My house cats have been completely welcoming and accommodating. None of my house cats have hissed, growled, or in any way acted aggressively to Flower. They either ignore her completely or approach slowly in a questioning manner.
Flower is terrified of my house cats. She was bullied by other cats outside. Due to her mobility issues, Flower cannot defend herself. Her only ways of defense are to hide and to hiss. Flower hisses and growls at my house cats. She is afraid of them. Even when they are ignoring her and pass by as a normal course of their day, she is scared.
It would not be fair to Flower to have to share her forever home with another pet when she is clearly scared of other cats. We all know cat introductions are a long and tedious process to be sure they are done right. As I’ve said, Flower has been here two months with no aggression from my house cats. She sees them through a screen door. Yet she is terrified when the pass by.
Flower should be with someone home a lot. A retired person or WFH home would be great. She loves attention and would flourish where she can be the center of attention.
To interact with Flower, you need to get on the floor.
Flower cannot jump or climb. I have provided pet steps. They are too much for her. Her forever home may want to consider a ramp to see if that is an option.
She may want to sit in your lap, but she cannot physically get there. You need to pick her up, put her on your lap, and put her back down. For safety reasons, I do this when sitting on the floor in case she gets scared or wants to leave my lap. If I am sitting on the floor, she has only a few inches down and won’t get hurt like she would a fall from a chair or couch.
Her interactions:
Flower cowers. She has been with me for two months now and still hides in her box. She does enjoy her morning treats (second breakfast). She will approach for treats. She is very intelligent and recognizes the treat bag. Once she has her treats, she returns to her box.
I do put the treats in a trail to get her to leave her room and praise her and give pets. She always returns to her box after treats.
If you hold your hand out for her to investigate, she will headbutt your hand when she wants pets. She likes head scritches. Sometimes she will lick your hand.
She does not walk around while I am in the room.
She very rarely will eat in front of me except for treats.
I have given her full access to the upstairs of my house to explore. She very rarely leaves her room. She prefers to stay in her safe space.
She requires a lot of patience. She saw me outside for 6 years feeding her and talking to her. It took her 6 years to go into the trap for help. She has been here for two months and still has not come out of her shell.
We had a visitor two weeks ago. She was terrified and hid. This is a cat who will hide for several weeks or months. She will not come up to you. Cats like Flower sit in shelters forever before adopted because they are scared. Cats like Flower are euthanized in shelters.
Flower’s preference is to sit next to you while you pet her, and she purrs.
Flower does not play with toys, probably due to her medical issues. She does have a few stuffies she likes to cuddle. Her stuffies, blankets, carrier, cat bed, etc. will go with her to her forever home.
Her injuries and mobility:
Flower is at least 12 years old, estimated by the vet. The vet’s exact words for her are “geriatric special needs.” She was in a home for the first 5 years of her life before she was kicked out, used as bait, and then outside for 6 years before I could trap her. For more on being used as bait, read part one.
Her dental health in general is good. She is missing one upper canine.
Her entire pelvis was crushed. This is why she cannot jump or climb. She can run.
She has a stub tail. It is unknown at this point why. She does wag her tail when you pet her and when she is happy.
She had severe injuries to her right arm and arthritis has set in. The entire reason why I trapped her was because she was limping. She needs extra heat. She has a heat disc I heat for her twice a day and put in her cat bed that will go with her to her forever home.
You need to keep an eye on her movements for any limping. She will need further treatment for that injury. It is unclear at this time if the vet can do something for the arthritis or if there is a possibility she would need to be a tripod. Any adopter needs to keep an eye on her for limping and be prepared for ongoing medical needs if she needs arthritis injections/treatment or potential surgery.
Her eating and toileting:
Due to her injuries and mobility issues, Flower’s food and water dishes should be elevated. I have a pet shelf that is being used for this purpose. It will go with her to her forever home.
She eats and drinks normally. She is on a schedule for breakfast.
She is not on a set schedule for dinner yet. We are still working on that.
She toilets normally. Be aware that due to her mobility issues, she should have a cat pan with a low step-in / step-out. You should consider one of the cat pans for senior cats or even for kittens to meet her needs.
She does groom herself but also needs help. She is not physically able to use cat scratchers either vertical or horizontal – both have been provided. You will need to keep up on keeping her nails trimmed. She does not like her nails trimmed. I am working with her on this – trying to pet paws to get used to being handled, etc. Please be aware she may bite you when you cut her nails because she does not like it. This is the only time she has ever shown any aggression.
Flower allows all pets and handling. It is very easy to put her in a carrier for transport. The vet office was surprised at how easy she was to handle. This cat is NOT feral and never was. She is severely traumatized. She cooperated with the vet visit much more than expected and they were able to do a lot.
This is the most submissive cat I have ever seen, and I used to volunteer in a shelter.
My Thoughts
I’m not going to lie. This is hard for me emotionally. I want to keep Flower. I wish I could keep Flower. I cannot keep her and it breaks my heart. Flower needs a forever home and it’s not mine. There are three reasons I can’t keep her:
Flower needs to be the only pet in a home. It is not fair to Flower for her to live here permanently when she is obviously scared of other cats. (It’s also very hard on me and the house cats to have her separated).
I can’t keep them all safe. We have been physically injured by the neighbors since I reported the dog fighting ring. Battery is not a crime in NYS. Read more about the dog fighting ring in part one. Bottom line, the neighbor attacks are ongoing and continuous. I struggle to keep myself and my three house cats safe. Basically, I can’t. We have been physically injured by the neighbors and needed medical care twice. There is no way I can keep Flower safe too. The local government and sheriff department refuse to do anything about the criminal harassment we are experiencing. I have experienced retaliation for complaining.
We are living in an ongoing pandemic. I am one of the ones that is supposed to “fall by the wayside.” I have had medical professionals and multiple people in the community tell me to my face that I need to hurry up and die already. I don’t want to die. I love being alive. Specifically, I need to outlive my cats to keep them all together. You have heard of bonded duos. I truly have a bonded trio with my house cats. There is no way I can take on a 4th. I very much worry about what will happen to my cats if something happens to me.
Flower needs a forever home where she will be loved and cherished like she deserves. She should be in an experienced cat home that can meet her needs. She needs to be an only pet as she is so scared of other cats. Finding her a forever home is like finding a needle in a haystack. I have no shelter, rescue or anyone helping with this.
Combine that with the fact I am immune compromised and have a disability that impacts my driving. No, I cannot drive hours for her to meet you. I can do about an hour drive on a good way. I am willing to try to coordinate transport for her to a forever home. It will be challenging.
I can tell you right now a “meet and greet” with Flower will fail spectacularly. She will be terrified and hide. She may hide from you for weeks or months when you adopt her. Are you prepared for that? Or are you going to get frustrated, kick her out, give her back or give her up to be killed?
She needs a forever home with someone with A LOT of patience who is prepared to take on a cat who has experienced severe abuse at the hands of humans and has trust issues. She has ongoing medical needs.
Flower needs a very special retirement home.
Since it is just me helping her, any potential adopters will be very thoroughly vetted. Expect to have multiple conversations and provide references. Every single human has let this cat down. I am not going to let her down. I am doing everything I can to set her up for success in a forever home.
Please also understand how hard this is for me. I never fostered before. I was shocked when the shelter said they would not help an injured animal. I couldn’t just turn away. I had to help. I trapped her. I’m giving her a home right now, but this is not the best for her permanently.
I would love to keep her, but I truly believe based on her behavior, she needs to be in an only pet home. Part of me still has hope she will relax and stop hissing at my house cats and accept them, but the reality is, she fears them, no matter how friendly and welcoming they are. Flower would be most comfortable as an only pet.
I am very attached to her. Every cat I have ever adopted has been for life. Fostering is hard. I did not expect this. I thought the shelter would take her when I reported her injured. I have no regrets about helping her, but this is hard. I love her so much, but I know I am not the best forever home for her.
I am open to SERIOUS inquiries for a forever home for her. If you have made it this far, thank you for caring enough to read.
rewindliveslow 