PHOEBE AND ISABELLA WERE ADOPTED MAY 8, 2003!
by their foster parents...
"When I approached my husband with the fact that you had a good candidate for adoption of the girls ----he actually cried real tears.........so in light of the fact that he isn't capable of letting them go --- we are going to keep them."
Phoebe and Isabella were rescued from deplorable breeding conditions on November 8, 2002. They were flea infested and full of open sores from flea dermatitis. They both needed dental work. The girls are now flea free, sores are healed, they are spayed, up to date on shots, FeLV/FIV negative, their teeth are pearly white after being professionally cleaned and Isabella's rotten teeth were removed. (This is why her tongue always sticks out!) We are unsure of their age but guess them to be 6 - 8 years of age. They tend to hide in unfamiliar surroundings and it takes them a while warm up to new environments and people. Too much space to move around in early on will confuse and overwhelm them so they need a small, confined space to acclimate in so they can consider that area a safe haven before venturing on to the rest of the house. Phoebe and Isabella had been adopted previously but were returned because they did not acclimate to their new home after being there almost a month. They hid under the bed - always. They had been given freedom to roam the house too soon and it was too frightening for them.
Potential adopters must understand that they need to give these girls all the time they need to feel comfortable in a new home. There can be no rush to have them become part of the household. They must progress at their own pace while living in a confined area. They are very nice cats. They just need time to gain confidence and trust with new people in a new environment. Given limited space and time to adjust in their foster home, they now seek out their foster mom, "talk" to her and purr when they receive attention. It is very rewarding to see frightened animals begin to trust and live happily.
On December 31, 2002, Phoebe and Isabella were moved into a foster home in Wayne, NJ so we could better assess their progress at again moving into a new environment. We will share reports from their new foster mom so potential adopters can see what to expect:
January 2, 2003:
The girls are doing well. Phoebe lets me pet her in the hammock---she gives me her belly and purrs. Isabella is a bit more shy but will let me pet her head. I opened the cage last night for the first time so that they could come and go----Phoebe came out and came downstairs---Hazel promptly tried to kill her but I caught Hazel in mid air before she landed----much to her dismay. Phoebe came back upstairs and played with her toys by her cage. Isabella on the other hand decided to come out and disappear completely. We looked for her for 45 minutes and couldn't find where she went. When we came back up to tuck Phoebe in---Isabella was there sitting behind the cage watching Phoebe play with her toys------Today we have the cage open and Phoebe is wandering around on the couches, but still goes to the doorway of her cage if you approach her. Isabella is content to nap in the cage. Phoebe is enjoying her can of trout. Isabella has disappeared again. She left the cage right after Phoebe gave her a bath. I am confident that as soon as she smells trout she will appear like last night. I really just don't get it---this room up here has very limited hiding space---we just can't figure out where she is.......
January 4, 2003:
We found Isabella's hiding spot.....she is a very creative kitty....she was under a small dresser that we have in the office. She must have worked hard to get under it because it barely sits two inches off the floor. She pretty much stays there during the day. Hazel has stopped actively trying to kill them so Phoebe stays out of the cage for the most part---she is fond of the chair and the couch. Isabella comes out to eat, and she wanders around a bit but she is still pretty much unapproachable. She has come within about a foot of us voluntarily.
January 14, 2003:
I am pleased to report that Phoebe and Isabella are both spending most of their days out amongst us. Isabella is still quite shy but she has found a home on one of the back-up batteries that sits on the rack with the server in the office---she has a great view and gets plenty of warmth. Isabella has also started to allow us to hold here for short periods of time. Phoebe has gotten very adventurous --- she now jumps on the desks while my assistant and I are working, she has started to eat cat treats out of my hand and she has stopped running when I try to pet her. Further, she has started to let me hold her and pet her for a few minutes at a time.
Januaury 16, 2002
ISABELLA ATE TUNA OUT OF MY HAND THIS MORNING!
I was pretty darned excited considering she has hardly let us pet her----
January 18, 2002
Here are some photos of the girls.....they are getting comfortable enough to let us take some photos without them moving around. They all love the kitty sill ---
January 26, 2003
Phoebe has turned into quite the attention monger. She is really quite affectionate. She likes it when you hold her like a baby and stroke her stomach.....and if she thinks that she is being ignored she puts up quite the scene....she has taken center stage on my desk on a number of occassions. Do you know how hard it is to type with a cat laying across your keyboard? Isabella still is a bit more reserved but likes when you pet her while she is laying down. Phoebe has gotten a bit more adventurous lately and is beginning to venture downstairs to our bedroom. I am so happy to watch Phoebe and Isabella develop into themselves, it is really just the coolest thing!
March 21, 2003
Here are a couple of new pictures of our girls----they are just so wonderful together! We have taken down their "security cage" they had stopped going into it except to eat and poop---so we finally just put their food and litter out and they seem much less inconvienienced now. They are still asserting their authority with Hazel but Kitty Boy has become the apple of both their eyes----they let him eat their food and use their box, they play with him actively and even have been seen curled up with him on his pillow! No one can say that they are anti-social-----
Phoebe loves when you hold her like a baby and scratch her belly and she can be quite demanding when she doesn't get the attention that she needs. She has taken to sleeping on my dining room table and in the morning she and my father have some pretty interesting conversations while he has his coffee.
Isabella isn't quite as demanding, she is much more ladylike in her approach for getting attention---not to mention she hates having her belly scratched! We still can seem to coax her downstairs but she will sit on the stairs and watch out for Phoebe.
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