#Occasional posts about my babies are inevitable here and I won't apologize for it

[gemmassong]

Apologies for my face but like... she makes me so fucking happy. My lovely Lady who lived under the house when we moved in almost three years ago and was so terrified of everything. She was so anxious she moved her litter of kittens three times (that we know of) before we could get our hands on her/them. She survived us having to take her remaining kitten away from her. When we did catch her to take her in for her spay/shots, the vet tech stamped a big fat ‘FERAL’ at the top of her file despite my protests and our wonderful vet (who she warmed to quickly) called her Edward Scissorhands lol. She survived heartworm treatment. March ‘19 I found her with a huge gash on her hip that was almost bone deep and required a ton of stiches, which she promptly pulled out. But she decided during her two weeks of cone time that indoor life was pretty nice. No rain, no cold nights, no hunting for food, lots of blankets and soft things and toys and food and humans for neck scritches.  Her next trip to the vet they updated her file from ‘FERAL’ to ‘Does well if owner holds’.

She’s gone outside a whopping once since that March and wow that lasted all of thirty seconds, she bolted for the door again to run back inside as soon as Birdy opened it. She refuses to eat the raw meat and freeze-dried minnow healthy cat treats the others like - processed garbage milk-flavored treats and shared human dinners only for Lady! Fucking loves white rice, the weirdo. 

She’s been indoors for almost two years now. She only started coming up onto the bed for attention this past summer. Initially she would pat my face and ears until I woke up enough to scratch her neck, and that was all she wanted. Now she drools all over me rubbing her face against mine. Usually she’s still the type to cuddle up behind our knees or in the curve of our hips. It’s only the last month that she’s started cuddling on my chest. Normally she sprawls over my arms. Tonight, she does this. Curls up between my arm and my chest.

Her most recent vet visit (for an ulcer in her eye which is all cleared up now), he praised how far she’s come, how she’s obviously scared but doesn’t lash out at all, no biting or clawing, and instead wants to be held for comfort when she’s afraid. 

It’s taken literal years of work and building trust but the terrified feral who bolted at the sight of any human is now one of the most gentle, affectionate, sweet little cats I have ever met. 

Cats are the fucking best, I swear. And ferals deserve to be slowly coaxed into happy little housecats.