Sunny's Story
by Susan Tripp
|
A few years ago, I was sitting in
church, four pews from the front, when - you won't believe this when you read it
- an orange kitten appeared under my feet. Evidently, this kitten, about four
months old at the time,
had walked in the open
door to the Sanctuary
and through the
pews ending up where my
husband, Rolan, and I
were sitting. Of course,
I believe there are
Angels involved who
somehow know that any
pet that wonders into a
pet lover's life will be
in good hands. |
Sunny, the
religious kitten |
I immediately scooped up that kitten
into my lap and for the next 45 minutes that kitten was lifted as I stood to
sing Hymns and sat in my lap for all the other parts of the service not
unnoticed by the rest of the Congregation. After the service, I expressed to
people who approached with interest what a
special kitten this was to tolerate being held that long. This kitten was
social, pliable, gentle and sweet in nature. I took a list of people interested
in adopting the kitten. Then Rolan and I went home, took digital photos, made
flyers and I walked the neighborhoods around the church looking for a home that
was grieving a lost kitten. I faxed the flyer to local veterinary practices and
pet stores and placed a photo ad in our local paper and waited one week for a
response.
Susan Tripp's
Favorite Product for Teaching
Positive Cat Scratching
During that week, our orange kitty lived in our bathroom. We had two
other cats and two dogs at the time. In the bathroom was a litter box on one
side, food and water on the other and the Foster and Smith Treehouse that
belonged to our older cats in the middle. The kitten was happy as a lark with
the set up. I spent hours each day in the bathroom enjoying my boarder.
At the
end of the week, the kitten AND the Treehouse went to live with lovely Eleanor,
an elderly church lady who had one cat but recently had lost a second one. We
set the kitten up in her bathroom with the Treehouse so that she could give the
kitten the security of a small room and a familiar Treehouse as she gradually
introduced the kitten to the rest of the house and the other cat.
Well, years later, she still brings
me pictures of "Sunny" who grew to be a long, lanky cat with a very sunny
personality that completely stole her heart as he did mine. The story ends in
happily ever after. And, at three years old, the Treehouse is still his favorite
place to hang out and scratch!
Dogs bark,
fish swim and cat's scratch! So,
it is normal feline behavior for your
kitten to scratch the arm of your couch
and climb your curtains.
It isn't
fair to punish a normal behavior.
Instead teach your cat where he or she
can scratch to groom nails, get a good
stretch, and leave a satisfying scent
mark on something valuable in the home.
I recommend posts that are 30 - 32
inches high so a kitten can grow into a
cat and still get a good stretch!
I have purchased all of my cat trees
from Foster's and Smith. When James and
Tristan were kittens (13 years ago) I
started them with a floor to ceiling
model (then $99). They were feral
kittens brought to our Animal Hospital
for weaning that I adopted on Christmas
1993. They were three months old at that
time and our "cat client" who was a
continual source of cat and kitten
rescues wanted them adopted out together
as indoor cats.
For the first few
months, we kept
Tristen and James confined to our
bedroom
to allow them gradual acclimation to a
new, larger home and enriched life.
The climbing trees allowed them exercise
and high places to rest that kept them
off our bed which helped my "sneeze"
factor.
The first
month, they were confined at night to a
kitty playpen so we could sleep.
