THIS IS DIXIE AS I FIRST FOUND HER. SHE'S LOOKING SO MUCH BETTER NOW BUT SEEMS TO ELUDE MY CAMERA. ONCE SHE'S BEEN GROOMED, I'LL DEFINITELY TAKE SOME "AFTER" PHOTOS. Miss Dixie apparently decided she did not want to go to the groomer yesterday. I'd made an appointment for 9am and was debating whether or not to go, but Dixie made the decision for me. The road in front of our house was icy and I'd heard reports of numerous accidents on the highway, but since I've driven on ice and in snow and don't have any fear of doing so, I thought I'd try it anyway.
I readied the cat carrier and grabbed a towel so I could wrap Dixie in it and protect both of us. She sat placidly as I approached her and allowed me to pet her head, which is a huge step forward for Dixie. I gently put the towel over her and she immediately began to resist. I didn't realize she had gained so much strength since she'd been living here. She's now what I call a "two-hand cat" - one that requires both hands firmly on her in order to place her in a carrier.
Dixie fussed and squirmed and wiggled until she was nearly free of the towel. I had taken one hand off of her so I could gently wipe her face and eyes. That proved to be my complete undoing. She took that opportunity to dig her back claws into my left hand and push off as a way to free herself. That was painful and left my hand punctured and dripping with blood. She wasn't being vicious in any way, she simply wanted out of my grasp and knew how to execute her escape.
I thought I'd simply scoop her up again and we'd be on our way, but Dixie was having none of that. She scurried to a hiding place and sat there peering at me through untrusting eyes. That situation was one I'd hoped to avoid. So, I told her she'd won and decided it would not help her if I pulled her from her safe spot. I cancelled the appointment and reset it for Thursday. I'll use a different approach next time.
To my surprise and great relief, Dixie forgave me for frightening her and last night she not only rubbed against my leg, which was a first, she also allowed me to pet her neck, head, ears, and tail. Maybe I should try to capture her with a towel more often.
4 comments:
Poor little darling, she looks such a pathetic sight in that pic. But gentle persuasion will win out in the end. You're the only life line she has and it may take a while for her to accept that, clearly not quite yet LOL! Good luck with the next effort to get her into the carrier!
Hi Kady Sweetie...
What a beautiful share. Poor Dixie, I agree it will take some time for her to build trust. She has been abused and is still frightened. She will come around. (Unfortunately for you, she used the only defense she had, was to use those back feet.)
She is such a lucky gal to have found you to care for her. You will both be good for each other. She is truly beautiful.
Thanks for sharing her journey with me Kady. She is a beauty.
Country hugs and much love, Sherry
I had a similar experience last night with one of our feral rescues, Otis. He was the only male in his litter and the most resistant to affection until this past November. He has been inside with us now for over a year. I can pet him, love on him, I can even rub his belly...but I have never picked him up or been able to hold him. Last night, as we were gathering our crew together for bed, Otis escaped from the bedroom...we have 7 that stay in the bedroom with us at night...I finally got him closed in together with me in my craft room and tried to sweet talk him, even tried to coax him with treats to no avail. I finally grew tired of the song and dance, lol, and tried to wrap him in a towel to keep him from scratching me. Three attempts, all failures...he's a slippery little sucker. Finally, I decided that I would just pick him up by the scruff of the neck and then hold him as gently but securely to me as I could, and that's what did the trick. I thought for sure he would hate me forever, but he was his old self again this morning...he even let me rub his belly. :0)
Keep up the good work Kady! You might want to just try to hold Dixie by the scruff of her neck as you pick her up. Cats tend to go limp for a minute or two which makes them a little easier to handle...until they figure out what you're up to. ;0) Good luck! :0)
Kady what is the reason you are taking her in in the first place..I think you are going to traumatize her more by taking her into a strange place..can't you clean her..she is just so sweet and I would hate to have her not trust you because of this..give all your babys a love for me.;)
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