There will no longer be such photos of Gucci and Tiffy. Because as happy as they may appear in this photo, the truth is... they aren't.
Good moments like this are few and far between
Melissa called me last weekend to ask for help. Her father was demanding for Tiffy to be removed from the house.
Why?
Because Gucci is still unable to accept the little kitten. He is tensed and angry, hissy and aloof. Melissa's father has had enough and doesn't want Gucci to be stressed out further. He feels that a second cat in the house is simply one cat too many.
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Does Tiffy know the family's decision?
So poor Tiffy has to go.
In the short two weeks that Tiffy was with Melissa's family, things were certainly dramatic. Gucci was terribly upset with the newcomer and showed his disapproval by staying away from the family.
As Gucci is, by nature, a very affectionate cat, the family felt the silent treatment to its fullest extent.
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Gucci in loving arms
Because of all the stress and unhappiness, Gucci came down with an eye infection. The infection, before it was detected, made it appear as though Gucci had been crying. It left the family feeling alarmed and very guilty.
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Will there be warm laps for Tiffy in the future?
One morning, without informing the family, Melissa's Dad brought Tiffy down to the void deck and left her there. Gucci, knowing that the 'intruder' was no longer around, became his old happy self again. The family wondered about the sudden change... about why he was so happy and sticking closely to them like glue.
When they discovered what had happened, Melissa's Mum quickly went to search for poor Tiffy and brought her back home.
Melissa knew that she couldn't sit on things anymore and that was when she called me.
Dreaming of a loving home...
I've agreed to foster Tiffy and to look for a loving home for her. So tomorrow at 11am, Tiffy will be brought to me.
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... Where she'll be accepted and kept safe
Speaking now as a foster, I am relieved and grateful that the family had decided to keep Gucci. Frankly, I wasn't sure that Gucci would be the one to stay. I thought that it was highly likely that the novelty of having the new kitten would be too strong.
And because I can still remember just how unhappy Melissa's Dad was with Gucci initially, all because his coat was black, I was afraid that this might just be the chance for him to rid his house of a black cat.
I am glad I am wrong.
Melissa and her family gave me their word that they would always care for Gucci responsibly, when they signed the permanent adoption contract. Clearly, they are taking that promise seriously. For that I am grateful.
If they had chosen to give up Gucci instead, I feel that the situation would be that much worse. Finding a new home for Gucci would definitely be a lot more difficult than it would be for Tiffy. That's a given.
Why?
Gucci is older, bigger, less cute. Plus his coat is all-black, not exactly a selling point in a superstitious environment.
So I am relieved that it is Tiffy who needs a new home, and I am grateful that Melissa and her family are standing by Gucci. They really do love this big guy.
I suppose this is the silver lining on this dark cloud.
So now, I await Tiffy's arrival. I'll be working hard at finding a good home for her. Please help me spread the word that this cutie is now up for adoption.
And because I can still remember just how unhappy Melissa's Dad was with Gucci initially, all because his coat was black, I was afraid that this might just be the chance for him to rid his house of a black cat.
I am glad I am wrong.
Melissa and her family gave me their word that they would always care for Gucci responsibly, when they signed the permanent adoption contract. Clearly, they are taking that promise seriously. For that I am grateful.
If they had chosen to give up Gucci instead, I feel that the situation would be that much worse. Finding a new home for Gucci would definitely be a lot more difficult than it would be for Tiffy. That's a given.
Why?
Gucci is older, bigger, less cute. Plus his coat is all-black, not exactly a selling point in a superstitious environment.
So I am relieved that it is Tiffy who needs a new home, and I am grateful that Melissa and her family are standing by Gucci. They really do love this big guy.
I suppose this is the silver lining on this dark cloud.
So now, I await Tiffy's arrival. I'll be working hard at finding a good home for her. Please help me spread the word that this cutie is now up for adoption.
Photos courtesy of Melissa & Kenny
~5-Cat Style
12 comments:
Tiffy is very cute looking. It should not be too difficult looking for another adopter for her. Good luck.
Through this episode, it would seem that integrating a new cat to a household with a resident cat is not a simple matter. For Gucci & Tiffy's case, it should probably be easier as most of the fundamentals are already there (like Tiffy being of an opposite gender and Tiffy being a kitten and thus, probably not being viewed as a threat by the resident cat) and it would take just that little bit more from single cat owners looking for a new one to integrate into the family and that will be: Lots of patience and being hard hearted enough to keep the new member in a separate room for a week or more before letting them see each other through a barrier and another week or so before they can physically touch each other.
Introductions if not done probably, will hurt all parties, cats and humans, in the long term. I went through it myself (wanted to adopt a kitten to keep KK company and a cat organisation volunteer insisted on letting KK and the new kitten meet straightaway. It was a disaster and we had no choice but to sort of tell the volunteer off that this will not work and that perhaps we better return her the kitten).
I thought this article summarises the issue quite well and perhaps you might like to print it out for your other potential adopters. http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/catcat.html
Patience is a virtue when introducing cats. We have to remember that cats are not social animals like dogs. And sometimes despite all best efforts, some cats really will not allow another cat into their life. Maybe Gucci is just one of them.
An unfortunate ending for Tiffy though I'm glad the family kept their promise of caring for Gucci. I hope Tiffy finds a new home soon!
We hope Miss Tiffy finds a good new home very soon, with someone who understands cats. Mom kept Buddy in a little room by himself for 2 weeks before she even brought him out to meet me. And then after that, she only let us be together for a short time. She would pet me and then go in and let him smell her hands and then pet him and come out and let me smell him, so we got used to each other's smells. And we played pawsies under the door a lot too. In about 3 weeks Buddy was allowed to stay out in the rest of the house with me all the time! We've been friends ever since, even though sometimes we fight a little bit. Mostly we play together.
Good luck Miss Tiffy!
Finny & Buddy
Poor Tiffy. I wish she could come stay wif me. I hope she finds a good forever home. Good luck!
I'm sorry for them that it did not work out. It's horrible that little Tiffy now does not home, and I know the human pet would have you send her over in a heartbeat if it were possible. I hope you can find her a good home soon!
Bonnie still doesn't like Victor (6 months together today), even though we tried a slow introduction. Bonnie wants as little contact with Victor as possible. I'm sorry for Gucci and Tiffy, but I think they've made the right choice for them. Kudos to the father for so overcoming his dislike for black cats, but to simply dump Tiffy shows poor judgement. For Gucci to improve so quickly amazes me. I'm not sure I want to see Bonnie suddenly 'normal' again if Victor was out. She only had one health incident when she wouldn't eat or drink. The x-rays, hydration and vet stay were expensive, but she hasn't done that again.
Hi KXBC, thanks for the link. It really is useful.
Hi Finny & Buddy, what a story! I'll be sure to use you as my shiny example to follow. :)
Hi Mrs Budak, Princess Mia and Zeus, thank you for your well wishes. I really hope someone good will fall in love with her soon. I'm pretty strict with who I allow to take my cats, so I'm hoping it won't be a 6-month process like it was for Bombay and Bangles.
Hi Victor & Bonnie, I agree... I'm very touched that Melissa's Dad has gotten over his bias against black cats. His love for Gucci astounds me. He shouldn't have put Tiffy back out like that, but when you're emotional... you tend to act without much thought.
I'm just grateful that he agreed to my request to hold on to Tiffy for one week more till my office project was over and I didn't have to work a crazy 18 hours anymore.
Poor Bonnie, she really took to Victor badly, huh? What is her 'normal' like?
~5-Cat Style
oh dear! no wonder i saw tiffy's photo in the catwelfare adoption board! sigh i would take tiffy man! but i already ahve a cat..
who is unable to recognise my parents and has starting biting all of is again. can someone help? -auntie tom
Bonnie's "normal" was pretty aggressive. She only really warms and calms for my husband, but before V, she slept on my feet. She likes belly rubs, but soon attacks the rubbing hand (she learned to only attack when we wear gloves). Now only my hubby sees her flopped on the floor for a rub. She approaches all adult visitors with lots of sniffing and possibly a rub, then growls and hisses, and even swats some on their ankles (hence, The Attack Tabby). She watches kids from a safe distance and lies down nearby, but avoids real contact. You always had to pet her carefully, but now I can't even give her 1 stroke on the head without a growl. She was very playful, vocal, and aggressive as a kitten, but less playful with age. And as I type this, she's sprawled on the floor under my chair... she likes to be near us but doing her own thing. If she hears V coming down the hall, she'll start growling.
Magoo still wants nothing to do with Dolce. Smudge and Bella will play with her, but Bella has a very short fuse for an overly energetic kitten. Most of the wrestling devolves into growling and hissing match. Smudge on the other hand doesn't growl or hiss, but he will swat Dolce if she gets too rambunctious.
best regards, nice info » » »
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