Meet Scardeycat, and her intrepid son, Toast.
I first met Scardeycat circa late 2015/early 2016. She used to freeze when she saw me sat in the chair outside my back door, and then run away. I would feed her, but she wouldn’t start eating until I had gone. It took about a year, but soon she safe minimum distance shrank to about 6 feet and she became a regular. And mostly she lived under the deck on top of the garage.
Emboldened, with the help of my bff @lemonsharks I built two DIY winter feral cat shelters and place them outside my back door. I was convinced I had failed, and the shelters were useless, but Candice insisted they were but just not when I could see cos cats are nocturnal mostly.
Then in the cold and wet spring of 2017, Scardeycat had a litter of kittens under the deck. She moved them, when the weather got colder and wetter, into one of the shelters.
I spent pretty much all of April and May feeding mama and babies, and hanging out with them and unknowlingly socialising Scardeycat, who stopped hissing (mostly) and safe minimum distance shrank to about 8 inches. But four kittens was a lot of kittens and it was stressing her out, so Candice and I kidnapped the babies, who I’d named Flynn, Jones, Stone, And Cain. They came to live at Candice’s apartment, and we socialised them mostly through Stockholm Syndrome, and we kept Flynn and took the other Librarian kittens to the Anti-Cruelty Society who got them adopted out in less than a week.
Flynn is the best cat ever, except for your cat, who is also the best cat ever.
We kept saying we would TNR Scardeycat, but before we could, in most likely September, she had another litter of kittens–this time just two. I named them Shadow and Ghost, based on their behaviour. Shadow never left Scardeycat’s side, while Ghost took off like their ass was on fire every time I came outside until the lure of free wet food and heated cat shelters proved too much to ignore.
When I came back from two weeks with my family, during which time Boo and my upstairs neighbours had been in charge of feeding the ferals, Ghost disappeared. I choose to believe they were adopted and are now an indoor cat living the cushy life of a beloved pet. In the meantime, I bonded with Shadow, and Scardeycat had moved permanently from beneath the deck to the heated cat shelters.
Then in mid-January, Scardeycat went into heat. Tomcats from miles around appeared in out back garden, and annoyed one of the owners in my building, who gave me an ultimatum: stop feeding the cats, or bring them inside, or he was calling Animal Control. On top of that, one tom was very aggressive, and kept cornering and attacking Shadow. So I lured Shadow into my basement apartment with wet food. We got her into the guest bath after a week in the Utility Room with the intent of socialising her and getting her adopted.
At this point, I should probably mention there was water damage from a massive leak next to my HVAC system, as well as mould and mildew and God knows what else in the Utility Room. So I ended up with bronchitis in February, but it passed and I realised one day that o shit I was screwed, I was in love with Shadow the Pineapple Upsidedown Cat.
Fast forward to April. Scardeycat had another litter of kittens in the cat shelter, which was now located directy outside my back door. We got the entire nest into the utility room, and then like a horrible person, used the babies as bait to get Scardey to follow them inside. Mum and babies were transferred to guest bath, and the PLAN was to socialise them and get them all adopted.
The PLAN went all to hell when, less than a week later, I had a severe asthma attack and ended up in the ICU with acute respiratory failure, and spent 10 days on a ventilator. Candice and her wonderful roommate Mel took in Shadow, Scardey, and the babies, I recovered, spent three weeks with my family in Florida after rehab, and three of the four kittens–named Pita, Tortilla, Baguette, and Toast–were adopted.
Long story short, we would prefer it if the now completely non-feral Scardeycat and her ridiculous intrepid son Toast can be adopted together, because we feel guilty for repeatedly kidnapping Scardeycat’s babies. Also, for those of you who are concerned, Shadowcat is still at Candice’s, and I visit her and Flynn as often as I can.
Scardey and Toast have lived with Candice since April 16, and are wonderful cats. Toast is a slut for cuddles, and he has been altered, and his ears are too big for his head and he’s ridiculous. Scardeyca has all her shots and had her 3D Kitten Printer removed in May, and is still small, and quiet, but she will come up onto Candice’s bed and allow herself to be cuddled and even picked up and snuggled, but she mostly is not a lap cat.She is however a wonderful cat. She has had a very very hard life, and now deserves a Forever Home with humans who cater to her every desire, and she and Toast can have long and happy lives as indoor cats.
Here’s where you come in! Do you or someone you know love cats? Are you within driving distance of Chicago? PLEASE ADOPT THESE CATS. They are amazing pets, and need a home. They are fixed, vaxxed, and chipped, and ready to go onto their next great adventure!
PLEASE REBLOG THIS POST. Spread the word, and help us find a Forever Home for Scardeycat and Toast.
