An Unkempt Garden of

many photos of Collie

3 minute video of Collie doing stuff

Collie is a playful, petite, sweet adult black-and-white cat. She has been fostered by us for over 2.5 years, and we are her third foster caregivers. She's outgoing even to new people, never pushy, loves treats and eating, but is always polite and never destructive. She needs a real, permanent, loving home to adopt her... without any other cats.

There is a lot to say about Collie, but the first three important facts are:

• She was very sick when she was rescued, and had to have one eye removed. She sees just fine, though.
• She is very friendly and fun.
• She will seem bold and unafraid, but she has been through a lot and needs a patient person who understands that cats react to stress in individual ways.

There are some medical notes below.

Likes people - She clearly likes people, especially "her" people. She's more of a pal who hangs out with you than a furry child. She does snuggle a little on the couch when she's cold, but she has to really know you well first. She's never pushy or demanding, and sometimes she has to be invited to join you, but she will follow you around the house. She also loves when you do housework; it's entertaining for her to watch.

When potential adopters meet her, she always greets them at the door and is glad to hang out and play with them. She sometimes gets excited and starts clowning a little. She would love to meet your friends!

Likes dogs - We're guessing she grew up with a very sweet dog, who she may even miss. We're eager to introduce her to a possible new dog friend. So far, we've tried a friend's medium-sized dog; she really wanted to play, but the dog didn't. I think Collie was disappointed. She was very interested in a dog she saw at the vet's office - she was crouching in the back of her carrier until the dog walked in, and then she immediately moved to the front of the carrier as if hoping the dog would come visit. Whenever she sees a dog, she gets very interested and wants to play (sometimes to their bewilderment). The right gentle, fun, tolerant, cat-loving dog could make a wonderful friend for her.

Likes to play - She loves to chase little balls or toys, and she will play a couple of human/cat games, "Cat Goalie" -- try to roll a ball past her -- and "Cat Bowling" -- roll the ball into a pile of tissue paper. Once she's super comfortable with a person, she will invite you to play chase like a puppy; it's so cute! She also loves hiding behind curtains, going for rides on rugs or scratching platforms, and chasing ribbon toys.

Knows actual tricks - This cat will jump onto a scratching platform or into a laundry basket while you're holding it, and she has learned to jump onto a railing when we ask. The fact that she loves treats helps! Oh, and she will also jump through a hoop (we will post a video link soon!).

Why hasn't she been adopted ten times over?

Finding a home for an adult cat is always a bit harder than for a kitten, but for such a friendly, fun cat this seems like too long.

Stress - She would do best with an experienced cat lover who will understand that cats show stress in different ways. Collie doesn't run from things; she'll even watch you vacuum from a safe distance. She's not shy at all, even with new people. Still, she does get stressed sometimes. She's had incidents of pulling the fur from her paws and chest, her urinary crystals incident was likely due to stress. She also sometimes has trouble keeping her food down, usually if she's eaten too quickly after being extra hungry (we're exploring whether she has a food allergy).

She's not a good fit for young children since she can react to too much petting or stimulation by putting her teeth on you (less of an issue since she's had so many removed).

(Independent Animal Rescue (IAR) has been wonderful about supporting Collie. We are her third fosterers, and she's had some medical events which were quite expensive -- IAR covered all those expenses with little fuss. If you feel moved to help support their mission so that they can keep supporting Collie and the many cats they care for, you can use the button under Collie's photo on Collie's IAR page. You could also become a fosterer -- fosterers and other volunteers are needed)

 

Features

One of the nice things about adopting a fostered cat is all the information you can get.

Here's what makes Collie different: She has the softest fur of any of the cats we have fostered. She has an exceptionally beautiful face and tiny white ear tips. She will invite you to play with her. She is brave. She hardly ever meows. When she does meow, she meows softly and it's adorable. She does snore, but it's quiet She's extremely good with the litter box. She has been known to "hold it" for a long time rather than miss the box. She is neither clingy nor insistent. She doesn't like salmon. She will follow you around. She sees dogs as potential playmates. She doesn't like other cats at all. She comes to the door to greet new human visitors. She is spayed and up to date on her vaccinations. She knows her name. She can jump through a hoop.

Likes: Tuna. Catnip. Dry food, although we add water to it. Being carried around on a folded blanket or in a box, like the royalty she is. Sleeping at the foot of a bed. Being warm. Has camped in front of random appliances, just in case they warmed up like a space heater. People, including new people. Dogs (see above) Sitting on anything new you put on the floor. Being pulled around the floor on a rug or in a box. Resting her chin on things (see the photo with the banana toy). after she's known you a while, probably: Having her forehead scratched. Being brushed. Snuggling under blankets on the couch. Playing "chase" Sitting on your lap

Medical Notes

Though she is healthy, Collie has had some medical incidents.

- We're working on determining if she has a food allergy (maybe grains?). She occasionally has trouble keeping her food down.

- In the past, during two especially stressful incidents, she has had crystals in her urinary tract. Now, we watch for symptoms and make sure she gets plenty of water (we add water to her kibbles and we have a cat fountain). To be extra careful, we give her prescription food most of the time, although we've been told the food is optional.

- She has had two dental procedures and has had five teeth removed. Her remaining teeth and gums are now healthy. Missing a few teeth causes no problems when it comes to eating, but her teeth should be checked regularly.

- As mentioned above, she had an eye removed early in life due to an infection This hasn't slowed her down a bit.

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We're fostering Collie through Independent Animal Rescue (IAR). More information about her and the adoption process is on IAR's site.

Independent Animal Rescue prides itself on working closely with all potential adopters to make sure cats and families are well-matched and that adoptions go well. We personally care a lot about this too, and will do whatever it takes to make Collie's transition as smooth as possible.

If you have any questions about Collie or about what it's like to adopt a foster cat, please send us a message at am@virtueofthesmall.com