Not even four days after Bentley was placed, he is back with us. The grandparents had little patience for a kitty who hid in the daytime and cried at night. Mike got the initial phone call this morning and the man was so upset that 20 minutes later I hit the road to go and fetch him. I kept telling them when I was there to just ignore him and he would be out in fine style quite quickly. But even as I talked, they toned me out and they were getting up off the couch, peering over into the back and pointing and saying “There he is!” sigh…. About two blocks from their home on the way back during the first visit, I had this irresistable urge to just turn around and go and get him and tell them that I didn’t think it would work out. But, I wanted to give it a chance and figured my misgivings came from how close he and I have bonded. I should have followed my instinct.
He leaped into my arms when he saw me and didn’t want to leave those arms to get into the carrier, but I know that traveling with a loose cat in your car is never a good idea. He cried for about an hour and I stopped several times just to cuddle him and reassure him he was going home, and finally he just slept.
It’s good to have him home and perhaps we spoiled him to much when he was so ill and made him into an inadoptable cat. I don’t know. I know they didn’t give hiim enough time to settle in. They said he was using the litterpan but not eating so at least he was drinking which is a positive. Right now he is cuddled on the floor next to his buddy B-Dog.
Early this morning when I opened the door to let B out, I saw a cat lying on the side of the road near our driveway and my heart sank. But, when I pulled him to safety, I did not recognize the cat at all. It was black but the black cats I have here are either medium or long haired and this guy was short-haired. I stopped at the trail and hiked into the forest and laid him to rest on a bed of pine needles. Again, I feel partly responsible for this as I am the only one on this road who feeds cats and he probably on his way for a nightly snack. The best I could do for him now is give him a forest bed and a prayer to send his soul off. Bless his heart.
Poor Bentley – you are right…he needed more time – and the right family 🙂
I don’t know – maybe he already has the right family? Either way, thankfully the family called you and didn’t put him out. Welcome Home Bentley!
What on earth were these people expecting? Give the kittie a few days to recover and settle in, peoples. It takes a while to get to the “kittie napping in the lap” stage, if the kittie even swings that way.
I tell everybody that I don’t have “instant kittens.” You can’t just plop these kittens into a cup and expect a purrfect cat soup to emerge. He would have been fine if they had ignored him (which they didn’t) he was drinking and using the litterpan and coming out when he wanted to. But some people are just to impatient and want that instant kitten mixture right away. So if that’s the case, he’s now back where he needs to be.
Well, sadly they didn’t give it enough time, and perhaps Bentley really wasn’t meant to leave you.
I do know I missed him like crazy. His buddy KoJo is also acting better now that he is back.
Welcome home Bent! You are where you’re supposed to be methinks!
He must think so, last night he slept with all is paws and legs wrapped around my hand. I have never had a cat do that before. Usually, it is just one paw or maybe two but not all of them!
Four days? That was all they gave him? Too many people expect an instant pet. Talk to him, be pleasant, give him what he needs, but let him set the schedule. Too few understand that. Bentley is not unadoptable. I just let my foster-cat Cammie go; I am the only human she trusts. But, given time, she will trust and love others. With cats, time is an ally.
And don’t feel bad about the black cat. Thanks to you, he had a meal every day to look forward to. That must have given him an immense feeling of security. He died when his thoughts were of the best thing in his uncertain life.