Welcome to the Wonderful World of ....
CAT MEOWS
This Side of Purradise
by Iris Bass
Wanted: A Forever Lap
“Home is any four walls that enclose the right person.” —
Helen Rowland (1909)
Two-year-old all-black Shepherd arrived at Purradise from Berkshire Humane Society, its “mother” shelter, as a bedraggled stray found in a junkyard, said staffer Beth when I spoke with her on July 19. She suspects he had once had a home where he had become accustomed to interacting pleasurably with people: “Once he gets to know you,” she says, “he’s complete mush . . . just a big softie.”
It isn’t clear whether he accidentally escaped or wandered off from being allowed to go outside, or—sadder, but this does account for some cats wandering about our streets—he even may have been deliberately abandoned, left to figure out how to fend for himself after having an early life of easier access to food and shelter.
Despite his rough sojourn before being rescued and brought to the shelter, Shepherd clearly appreciates that interspecies communication is important.
He is quite the chatterbox, Beth says, with a friendly personality to match his large frame.
He still has his “kittenish moments,” she reports—knowing how to entertain himself with play and exploration—and may be fine with respectful older children or smaller cats that do not challenge his need for autonomy. Although he does NOT like to be picked up—something he may have learned to steer clear of during his junkyard days—he loves to be held—as long as he initiates the contact.
Shepherd really just “wants to be spoiled as a housecat,” Beth enthused. Well, spoiling him might be going a bit too far, but certainly welcoming him into a stable and loving home would do much to banish his bad memories of scavenging for even the basics of existence. Obviously, this fellow deserves the security of remaining an indoor cat from now on.
Shepherd had arrived at the shelter greatly in need of grooming. One way to help bond with him would be to periodically brush his undercoat free of its continued tendency to tangle (yes, shorthaired cats need brushing, too). He’ll be more comfortable for it, so long as you proceed gently and quietly talk him through whichever area needs assistance.
Taking a cue from this naturally playful fellow and joining into games he creates for himself—or introducing new games yourself—would be another way to bond with Shepherd. It must have been awfully gloomy playing Kick the Can all on his lonesome amid that trash.
Iris Bass, coauthor of the Cat Lover’s Daily Companion, shares her Lee home with four shelter cats. Please contact Purradise, at 301 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA, 413-717-4244. Confirm its hours before heading over, or check out https//:berkshirehumane.org to view more photos of Shepherd or the other cats currently available for adoption there or at Berkshire Humane Society’s main shelter at 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield, MA, 413-447-7878. Purradise is open for both adoptions and boarding. Please respect any COVID-19 protocols that may be in place at either shelter.
