Teyla’s Tail

It was 2004 and the Siamese Rescue Center (SCRC) had been in existence for six years. Initially a small Center in Virginia where all the cats were housed, SCRC had by this time expanded to numerous East Coast states, thanks to a myriad of fantastic volunteers who stepped up to help in a variety of ways. Whether it was pulling cats from a shelter, fostering them until they found a home, transporting them to that home, or interviewing applicants, SCRC was impacting the eastern third of the US, evaluating, rehabilitating and placing cats in homes throughout 15 states.

Enter Teyla.

Teyla came into our program in the Florida area and was fostered by a vet, a wonderful woman who not only vetted cats for us, but helped in many of the other ways listed above. Found as a stray kitten, she was adopted by an older couple after only a month in the program.

Fast forward to 2017; Teyla was 13 years old. The husband had passed away and the wife was entering a nursing home and was no longer able to care for Teyla. Without anyone to take her, SCRC’s safety net was activated and Teyla was brought back into the rescue program so that we could work our placement magic once more.

Teyla went to stay with one of our experienced foster moms, Rinn, where she could have a room to herself as she adjusted to a new environment. Having been an only cat her entire life, we knew it would take her some time to become accustomed to rescue life, and finding a foster spot for her where she didn’t need to be caged and could be housed by herself was key. Over the next 280 days Rinn worked hard with Teyla, but she was one angry mess. Swatting and hissing, she wanted no part of humans, let alone other animals. All possible medical causes for her anger were checked; Teyla just was a very unhappy camper at having lost her home and family.

After 9 months with Rinn, we decided that a change of venue might help the situation, and brought her here to the Center. Experience had shown us that if a foster cat was not doing well after a significant period of time with one foster, changing locations sometimes did the trick. In January of 2018 Teyla began her extended stay here at the Center. She was given an entire bank of cages (nine individual cubbies that connected with each other) where she had the option to stay sequestered if she wanted to be by herself. At the same time, one door was always open so that she could come out and interact if she felt like it. While it was clear she was not keen on other cats, the room was large, the population was small, and no one bothered her. She remained hissy and swatty, but by late summer I was able to get in several very quick head scritches when I put down her tray of wet food. I had to withdraw my hand quickly, however, or blood would be drawn.  Progress was frustratingly slow. Teyla remained uninterested in making friends with humans or cats, and maintained what I would term a ‘semi-feral’ state of mind. In the 20+ years of having rescue cats, she was by far the angriest cat we had seen.

January of 2019 came around. Teyla had now been back with Siamese Rescue for 573 days and the progress was minimal. She certainly did not fall into the category of adoptable. It was time for another move, and this time we wondered whether she was really best suited for a sanctuary – a situation where she could live out her life without human interaction (unless she wanted it). The down side of sanctuary living was she would be around a lot of other cats. It was not ideal, but given we were making so little progress, the option had to be considered.

And then along came Chelsea, a cat whisperer. Chelsea had buckets of rescue experience and had been one of our fosters for quite some time. While she had a houseful of cats, she did have an empty finished basement where Teyla could stay. Certainly a better option than a sanctuary if she was willing to give Teyla a try. Why not, what could it hurt, she thought. We readily agreed.

From there, the progress was impressive:

Month one – Teyla sniffs hands but bats if Chelsea tries to pet her.

Month two – Teyla accepts pets on head, but gives a smack if you try to touch her body.

Month three – She is sleeping next to Chelsea when Chelsea sleeps in the basement.

Month six – Teyla can be picked up and moved, but will still smack unless she initiates the contact first.

Month seven – Teyla becomes a lap sitter.

And then, and continuing into present day, take a look at this picture. You just never know. It has to be the right situation – the right person, the right environment, and a good dose of time. But even those cats with a face of trauma https://siriouslysiri.com/2022/01/12/the-face-of-trauma, if you can find the magic scenario, and you can wait them out, their heart just may heal.