Fate of a Damaged Angel

Angel has been here over a month and a half. You can read her rescue story in three installments:

Two White Dogs; One White Cat
How?
Meant to Be

Angel is the white cat I rescued in early February. She had been put outside by family members when the owner died. That was last Fall. Every time I passed the property for all of those months, I looked over hoping to see her. Of course, I knew she had not survived. No one lived there anymore and there were no neighbors. There was no food. The only shelter she would have had was in one of the falling-down outbuildings on the property. And being solid white, she was certainly prime prey for any number of other animals. And then one day, I spotted her. When I think back on the circumstances, I realize what an unbelievable series of miracles had to occur for this cat to have ended up with me. How I found out that this cat even existed was a miracle. Then months of wondering about her, knowing she hadn’t survived, turned into a miracle when I actually SAW her on the property one day as I was driving by. The next miracle was that we were able to trap her on a tiny piece of public land.

When I got her here, it seemed surreal. But my joy quickly turned to worry when I discovered that this cat was badly damaged. Here is what I wrote in the last post about her:

I have NEVER been faced with the kind of behavior I’ve seen in this cat. And I’ve seen A LOT of cat behavior. She does not hide. She does not climb the walls or try to escape. She does not try to get away from me. She tries to come after me. She screams louder than ANYTHING I’ve ever heard from a cat. She attacks the front of the cage when I enter the room she’s in. I have to wear my to-the-elbow welder’s gloves to reach in to scoop her litter box. (I didn’t do this at first and I have the wounds to show for it.) I have to use a long-handled ladle to reach in and dump food into her dish. I have truly NEVER seen a cat act like this before. Older and I have discussed, and the only thing we can come up with is that she believes we are going to do something horrible to her. She screams us away and then tries to attack.

She was scaring the other cats in the kennel so badly that I had to move her to my storage room (the room I used to use for kitten season). I have a Feliway diffuser in there and I’m using the spray on a towel that is over the back of her cage. EVERY day I talk to her. Some days I can squat down in front of the cage after I feed her and she will eat for a while before racing at me screaming. But some days she screams until I leave the room. I don’t know what is going on or why. But I won’t give up on her. She is warm and safe and fed. And in my mind, she is CLEARLY meant to be here.

Two things have not changed. One – her behavior. And two – I still KNOW she is absolutely meant to be here. Let me tell you what happened only a couple of weeks after Angel was rescued and came here to Winnie’s Wish. I received a phone call from Older Daughter. She said – Mom. You are not going to believe this. Someone has torn down those old outbuildings on the property where Angel was living. I just drove by there on the way home and the buildings have been knocked down and are burning. I actually pulled over and took pictures.

 

After all of those months of living on that property all alone, taking shelter in those outbuildings - TWO WEEKS AFTER we trapped Angel, the buildings were torn down and burned. That cat “crossed my path” just in time! It actually gives me goose bumps when I think about it. She has been, and continues to be, a challenge like no other (more on this in a moment). But there is NO DOUBT IN MY MIND OR HEART about whether or not Angel is supposed to be here.
Now. Angel has been living in a cage in my kennel storage room. This is weird, but she’s completely content in her cage as long as nobody goes near her. However, she cannot live the rest of her life that way. I have tried her in both places – the kennel cat rooms and the cathouse. (She had to be moved IN her cage because she is untouchable.) She screams so loudly and so dramatically that it scares all of the other cats to death. They scatter and hide and stay outside on the cat decks. When she starts screaming (at me or at them) it is a scream like a cat being horribly tortured. I’m sure the other cats think something terrible is happening to this cat and that they might be next. I cannot inflict that kind of ongoing fear on all of the other Wishers. I don’t know what happened to this cat. Her behavior could be a result of abuse. It could even be some type of brain damage or disorder. I would like to get her spayed in case hormones exacerbate whatever she is experiencing, but at this time I can’t get her into a carrier. Having observed her for so long now, it almost looks like something gets triggered and she can’t get it shut down. One of my vets thinks it is probably conditioned behavior, and he feels like she will probably always be like this. More than one person has suggested I find a feral colony or a farmer with a barn and release her. But I just can’t do it. Here, she is safe and fed. She is warm in the Winter and will be cool and flea-free in the Summer.   I KNOW she is supposed to be here. Of course, I do not want her to spend her life in a cage.

Constructing a separate building for her was out of the question. Moving her into any area where other cats live is not going to be possible. So after weeks and weeks of trying everything and considering various options in terms of where Angel can live out her life, I finally came up with an answer. I have ten dog runs in my kennel. I decided to convert one of those runs into what will be, for one cat, a very large enclosure. A nice, roomy apartment, if you will, for a cat. Dogs don’t scare her. And she won’t scare the dogs by screaming – they are always making plenty of noise of their own. Husband and I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this past weekend converting one of the dog runs into a cat enclosure. She will have her indoor area, a large outdoor area, and there will be a slider between her living area and an area where her litter box, food, and water will be. That way, I can lower the slider when she’s in her “apartment” and safely clean her litter box and give food and water without her being able to get to me. The slider door will be open all the rest of the time to allow for her to access both indoor areas.

Here are pictures of the construction. My plan was to write this post for today (Tuesday), but I did not think we would be finished and Angel would actually be all moved in by today. However, late yesterday afternoon I moved her cage into the enclosure, opened the cage door, and she entered her new world – an indoor/outdoor, extremely roomy environment for an extremely damaged Angel. She has investigated every inch of her new “apartment” and she seems very content. I am truly overjoyed.

 

getting started

She can be outside.

 

We lined the chain link with another type of wire that is cat-safe.

My husband said he couldn’t imagine anyone but me being willing to put out this much effort and spend this much money and lose the income on one of my dog kennel runs for one cat. And an extremely challenging cat at that. (I said I bet I knew some other folks who would . . .) The thing is - who else does Angel have to look out for her? She did not choose this behavior. For reasons I will never know, and can only surmise, she is completely incapable of responding to human kindness. That is not her fault. Therefore, she deserves to be kept safe and comfortable for the remainder of her life. I will never stop hoping that one day her behavior might change; it would be so wonderful for her to know hands-on love. But I won’t ever need for her to be anything more than what she is now.

See you tomorrow.

Comments

[Andrea and the Celestial Kitties]

Aw, she looks so normal and content in those pictures in her run! So hard to believe she's such a screamer, but I know the exact sound you're talking about and I do not envy you it! She's so pretty that all I can think about is picking her up and rubbing my face in all that white fluff! Bet I'd lose my face though, lol!
You are amazing, Chrystal, because your hubby is right, no one else would do this for her, but you did, and that's exactly what she needs! We will hope and pray that one day something in her brain switches off the scream attack mode, but we are happy that she got to you before her only home burned down!
Friends, lets take some of the load off of Chrystal's shoulders by helping get some of the adoptable kitties into homes! And soon! Kittens are coming, it's spring! She's over full, so lets find some great people!
Don't forget to donate and wish list if you can!

[Cynthia Prentice]

What a wonderful thing you've done for her. Who knows what she has been through during the past year, I wouldn't release her to a feral group either :))

[The Menagerie Mom]

This is such a profound, wonderful post. What's more, you are an amazing person. Everything you have done for Angel is solid proof of that. You are giving the best chance at life to a cat whom so many others would have given up on long ago. I applaud you so much. And, Angel looks so happy in her new indoor/outdoor home!

I used to work at a cat clinic, and we would see so many different cats in there. It's simply amazing what all different behaviors cats can possess and display. That being said, I have met a few cats like Angel. Those screams and wails you describe, I've always thought that those are some of the most terrifying sounds you will ever hear in your life. And those elbow-high welder's gloves are a godsend, aren't they?

Many kudos to you for doing all that you've done for Angel!

[Michele]

What an incredibly kind thing you have done for Angel. You have given hope to the hopeless and I pray that in time she will come around. What that little girl must have gone through, we will never know. But we do know that she will only have kindness and love (even if she does not want it) for the rest of her life. Your post made my day!

[Random Felines]

mom got half way through this and thought "what about converting a dog run" MOL great minds and all that. we sure hope maybe you can trap her and get her spayed and checked over. while some may not think this is ideal, we think it is a GREAT idea!!

[Cat's Cats]

Chrystal I wonder if Angel is deaf, this might explain the screaming. You may remember I have a white, blue-eyed cat who is completely deaf. When Casper meows it sounds very peculiar because he cannot hear himself. When he gets excited about something like his daily brushing which he loves he meows so very loudly it's a bit like screaming...I can only imagine how he would sound if he were truly frightened...perhaps like Angel.

[Chrystal]

Hi Cat. One of the first things we tested - she is definitely not deaf. So, unfortunately, that is not her problem. I know what you're talking about tho. I have Goldie, a permanent Wisher, who is completely deaf. And she is a VERY loud talker.

[Ginny&the fur family]

Chrystal you saved another sweet furry who might have been burned alive if you had not got her. The dog run was an inspired idea. It looks great for her with the climbing place and out side area. God led you there. I prayed that I could catch my feral cat Trico who is untouchable. I knew flee season was coming. She can not be taken care of out side. I prayed and walked on to the front deck and just scoped her up by her nap. She is now in my out side cat run screeching her head off just like Angel. When I pet her she stops but will not eat. I hope she doesn't starve her self to death. I stuffed some wet food and water into her mouth last night. I might have to make her a separate little place like you did for Angel. Angel might have been tortured by her previous owners. Still
Angel has time now to realize no one is going to hurt her again. keep us posted on her in her new place.

[Karen Lucas]

Oh Chrystal what a blessing you are and what a wonderful husband you have who helps you do whatever is needed for these wonderful kitties and doggies you take care of. You never know about Angel. She might surprise you one day - your love has worked so many miracles before and in the meantime she has a loving safe home

[Connie]

maybe in time she'll get used to you and life in side

[Ellen Pilch]

Angel is lucky to have her own angel- you. That looks like a nice place for her to live and feel secure. I do believe she was meant to be with you.

[Katiek]

Wow! A perfect solution, a separate space that's all hers. Thank you for helping her.

[Lola The Rescued cat]

Thank you for helping her!

[Maria in CT]

Chrystal, you are doing the only thing that you could possibly do. You have never given up on an animal, and you're not going to stop now. Miracles can happen, so you never know what may happen with time and patience. Meanwhile, this Wisher is one of the lucky ones!

[Lori]

I wonder...who is the real angel here? Bless you for not giving up on this poor girl & for giving her what looks to be the only real chance she'll ever have for that "perfect" home & family...even if it is, ironically, a run in a kennel of dogs! But dang, what an awesome run it is!

[John Bellen]

An excellent idea, and Angel has as much as many lucky cats do. An indoor room for warmth and shelter and a chance for fresh air and interaction with the environment, but without danger. I hope she changes toward people, but even if she doesn't, she will have contentment and peace.

[Goldie Goodwin]

Finally got a chance to read this! Wow, Wow! Everyone else has already said this better than I could, but what a blessing you are to the animals who have no hope or options. This was a brilliant idea and she looks very normal and content in that environment. Never know what miracles may be in store for Angel.