By Cathy Baier
Cora the Cat came in as a stray in the early spring of 2016. Her stray hold- time was spent in a cage while we waited for a possible owner. No one came looking, so we prepared her for adoption and moved her to our cat colony rooms. We learned REAL quick that Cora was not an ideal “roomie” with other cats. In fact, she not only didn’t get along with cats, she didn’t like most people either. She made it clear she needed a space of her own. Concerned for her safety and well-being, along with that of the other cats and visitors, we moved her to a cage in the shelter office where she could be observed and worked with. We hoped her behavior would improve if she were less stressed.
Even in the new setting, Cora continued to be challenging. She was unpredictable and often would growl and swat at people, especially children, if they would show her attention. She didn’t trust anyone and was afraid! Lack of early and appropriate socialization, genetics, past experiences, and environment all can be factors that cause an animal to be fearful. Not knowing Cora’s history, we had no way of knowing the reasons for her behavior. All we knew was that people were not getting in line to adopt her!
A year and a half went by and Cora was still with us, still growling and still swatting. But during this time Tiffany, our event and volunteer coordinator at the time, and Cora developed a fondness for each other. Tiffany’s husband Del, who also worked at the shelter, was beginning to have a soft spot for this quirky cat too. In September 2017 when the Keys were in the cone of Hurricane Irma, and we were still at the dilapidated old shelter, all the animals had to be evacuated into foster homes. Thankfully, Tiffany and Del offered to take Miss Cora with them when they evacuated the Keys.
Because of the size and path of Irma, their evacuation route kept changing. To avoid the storm, Del and Tiffany ended up moving from one friend’s house to another until they made it all the way to Austin, Texas with Cora in tow. Tiffany told us Cora was perfect in the car, tolerant of all the different places, and even new people, as long as she and Del were with her. Her trust in them allowed her to feel safe with all the changes. This is not as common for cats as it might be for dogs. Cora was showing a very different side of herself.
After Irma passed, Del and Tiffany eventually returned but kept Cora at home until the shelter was put back together and safe. Of course, the longer Cora stayed with them, the more attached Tiffany got and the harder it was for her to imagine returning Cora. The couple had discussions and debates (some more heated than others) about keeping her. In the end, the No Pet policy where they were living and knowing the threat of losing their apartment brought them to a mutual decision. Cora was returned to the shelter. Unfortunately, this time her behavior was even worse than before.
The rest of the story is better told in Tiffany’s words:
“She was more agitated and upset than ever and it was killing me to not have her happy. Finally, after a lot of negotiating, as in I said: “This is what I want and we’d be saving a life” (insert Del’s eye roll), Del said if the landlord agreed, we could adopt her. I was shaking when I called my landlord, because if he said no, I wasn’t sure what I would do. But he agreed to let us adopt! We brought her home and she has turned into the most loving, wonderful cat….who still doesn’t really like anyone else. But she tolerates them. Since we have adopted her, her favorite things are ice cubes in her 4 separate water bowls, laying on Del’s lap every day when he gets home from work and her felt rope-on-a-stick toy. I’m not sure how she would have done in another home if she didn’t know them, and I feel she would have been a repeat surrender, let outside to be a stray or worse, so I truly feel like we saved a life!”
Cora the Cat was a life-changer. Not only did she manage to change the trajectory of her own life, but she also changed the lives of two incredibly special people who earned and deserve the love and devotion of this very special cat.
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