Zima came to us as a 5-month-old kitten, carried into the lobby of the shelter in the arms of her previous owner on a busy Saturday. She was so adorable and mild-mannered that we thought she would go to a new home almost immediately. The next day upon arrival, we entered the cat intake room where Zima was housed and immediately heard a loud screeching growl. Thinking something was very wrong, we quickly started to inspect the room when suddenly Zima rushed her kennel trying to reach out to swat us.
This was very shocking to everyone who met the sweet little angel the day before and we couldn’t figure out what happened in the last 12 hours. We tried several ways to calm her but nothing worked. We concluded it was the other cats in the room causing her to be upset, so she was moved into a quiet room in intake by herself. It took almost an entire month to fully be able to handle Zima, but with a lot of patience, she was able to go to the adoption floor.
Fast-forward 9 months and now she shares an office with shelter manager, Kristin Sampson. Her days are filled with helping to type emails, watching over the printer and entertaining people during long meetings. She has explored every inch of the office, getting her paws on anything she possible can. Her days can be very busy, therefore sleeping at least 16 hours is required to keep up with her demanding schedule. It may sound like any cat’s dream but it isn’t enough for her.
After a few days off Zima is very unhappy with Kristin’s absence, unhappiness expressed with her claws out and mouth wide open. This overly playful behavior with potential adopters has put her in bite quarantine two times while she was in a room with public access. Zima is a very young cat who has a lot of energy and gets easily overly stimulated. She also has a low bite inhibition, which can be hard for potential adopters to fully make sense of.
Most of us who understand cat talk can probably deal with her behavior by getting her tired with constructive play, but unfortunately, she isn’t always cooperative. We believe her behavior started from when she was just a baby, most likely because she was taken away from her mom and litter-mates too early. Despite trying all we can to work with her, she still has these tendencies which prevent her from finding a forever home.
As special as she has become to Kristin, she knows her office is not an ideal or permanent solution for her. Zima really needs to get out of the shelter and to start living the life she deserves. Therefore, we are currently exploring every option possible to help her get in a more ideal environment, including long-term fostering and sanctuaries. We know she does not like other cats and needs a cat savvy owner, but she does seem to get along with some dogs after a proper introduction. We hope that someone out there can see all her positive qualities over all the negatives.
If you know of anyone that might be willing to take on this stunning, playful and uniquely quirky cat, please email or call Kristin at (239) 643-1555 x 13. In the meantime, she will be looking out the office window waiting for her next adventure.
(Photo Credit: KD Photography)
