---- How taking in a troubled cat helped me become a better person ----

Back from patrol

This is the story of checkas the cat. She is a tuxedo cat who has fur, whiskers, a tail and who by all appearances is just like any other cat, but Checkas is an individual and a sentient being. The following is my telling of her story and how she came to be a companion in this house hold.

lounging

Now when Checkas first came to stay here it would be an understatement to say that I wasn’t thrilled about having an animal in the home. To begin with, this new addition was sprung on me out of nowhere, my housemate walked in the door with cat supplies and a cat. Our rental agreement did not allow for pets at that time and I thought it foolish to risk eviction for an animal. I also imagined that the upkeep would be expensive and dealing with the repercussions of having an animal in the home would be a horrendous chore I would not want to be part of. However, it was too late, my housemate had already agreed to take ownership of Chekas from her partner at the time as he was moving into a property which did not allow animals. He had also recently attained the her and checkas had been moved about a bit so her history was relatively unclear.

Check her profile

My housemate pleaded her case, she would take care of everything to do with Checkas and I would barely even know she was here, all her things would be packed up when the real estate came through, etc. However, I still wasn’t convinced. But then she said the one thing that instantly turned the tide in the decision to let Checkas stay with us. She told me that because Checkas is an older cat it is less likely that she would be adopted if they sent her to a shelter, if she is not able to be adopted it is most likely that she would be euthanized. I couldn’t have that happen, this animals life prematurely cut short due to the possible inconveniences to me... reluctantly, I agreed.

Locked in on the couch

Unbeknownst to me Checkas came with her own set of issues. True to my housemates words I hardly saw Checkas and barely knew she was there… besides the constant hissing as you walked by any room she was hiding in. When our paths inevitably did cross in the living spaces of the home she would freeze then hiss as she retreated to the safety of her hiding places under beds, behind couches etc. At the time I thought : “well this was an insult to my generosity, I let you into my home and this is how you repay me? By hissing at me and being antisocial and aggressive? Well if you aren’t going to like me, I’m not going to like you right back.”

Summertime chill session on the tiles

This format continued for months, me ignoring Checkas and Checkas freaking out at any interaction with anyone besides my housemate. Eventually, after about a year, she became accustomed to having to put up with my presence in the same space. However, Checkas still kept her distance and was very watchful of others and at the first sign of movement she would bolt out of the room. My thoughts for a long time were “stupid cat”, but after a while I started thinking “what is wrong with this cat”…. THAT was one big turning point for me. I started observing Checkas more carefully, I noticed that there were particular things that would make Checkas uneasy and make her hiss. Some of these included, being too close to her, moderate unexpected movements, staring at her, pointing at her, picking up a pillow from the couch. The most interesting one was a newspaper, rolled out was of no concern, but when it was still rolled up, as they are delivered here, she would become very agitated and hiss excessively while making a hasty exit. After she had been triggered by some of these things I would give her a moment then go find her in her hiding spots. While she would hiss at my presence in her general vicinity, she was never actually aggressive, as in she never struck out. She only wanted to escape what she perceived to be a dangerous situation. Even if I gently extended my hand to her she would turn her back and continue hissing. I could see by Checkas body language, fast shallow breathing, darting eye movement’s etc. What I was observing was a fear response that I would liken to that of a PTSD experience.

Curious sniffing

It became evident that Checkas had been abused in some way in the past and her behaviour was a consequence of that abuse. Explaining traits such as her lack of trust, inability to interact appropriately, lack of social skills, avoidance of physical contact, eye contact and anti-social behaviour in general. Again, this was a revelation which impacted the way I chose to interact with Checkas. I began researching animal training techniques and forms of reinforcement of behaviours. I used empathy, compassion and understanding to try and perceive things as Checkas would given her life experience. I tried to listen to what it is she was trying to tell me through her behaviour. Most importantly I manifested that knowledge and understanding into new behaviours which was observable by Checkas herself. In the beginning my new behaviour went unnoticed and for a few months my reception to any interaction was much the same as at any other point, hissing, running away etc. but I was persistent an vigilant with what I hoped to achieve. That is for Checkas to feel safe, secure, comfortable and most importantly loved in her own home. After more months of trying and failing, Checkas had had a scare and was hidden under our futon and again I went to console her if only to reinforce that she was safe and no one was going to hurt her. Her hissing was considerably less forceful than it had been in the past, I again gently extended my hand to her as I had done many times before. Then after a few minutes of looking at my hand and clearly weighing up if it was a smart idea to trust me, she gave my hand a little sniff, then a brief head boop then turned her back to me and hissed a little… it wasn’t much, but I had made some progress.

Something is up there

After discussing these things with my housemate we devised a plan to help Checkas feel more comfortable not only in this house, but in her own skin. We knew that building trust would be a long and hard road, but Checkas was willing to try and that was the most important thing. The more we worked with Checkas and exposed her to new pleasant experiences, the more she began to trust us and her surroundings. We also used a controlled exposure therapy method slowly moving pillows in her presence so she would see that pillows would not harm her in this home.

Sun and rest... plus some sniffing

Play and pats was the beginning of progress in the relationship we were forming with Checkas. While Checkas was a bit older so didn’t play too much, when she did we used positive reinforcement through pats or praise to assure her she was doing a good job. In the beginning it was difficult to convince her to drop her guard enough to play, she would quickly return to “overwatch mode” after a little play of less than a minute. Over time she reduced her guard significantly and began opening up to show us who she really was.

Getting out from under the futon with some play

She gets that evil look sometimes

Checkas was extremely anxious about even stepping outside of the house due to being an inside cat for a majority of her life. When we first introduced her to the outside world she would only sit at the open back door looking out, not daring to step beyond the threshold into this alien land we called a back yard. Her first steps outside were based on the hokey pokey, putting the right paw in, then the right paw out, then the right paw in and on occasion she would even shake it all about. Her first time beyond the threshold was only one step outside for a matter of seconds, it seemed that the immensity of it all was too much for her and she ran inside to her safe space. Slowly, and with repeated attempts, she conquered the small brick patio, then a small grass patch and eventually her adventures led her to discover the whole back yard. Albeit with an awkward tip toe motion through the grass as she makes her way about.

Its a big world out there

Finding the edge of the patio

One of the greatest moments I had with Checkas happened more recently within the last few years, she had been jumping over me to get from one side of the couch to the other for as long as she had been comfortable interacting with me. Then she began to step on me with just one paw on her way over, whenever she would I would pat and praise her, and then one day she decided to try sit on my lap. It was evident that this was somewhat alien to her as she was uncertain of how to sit or lay on a lap in any way which was comfortable for her, but after a few attempts she settled in for all of 2-3 minutes before her anxiety got the best of her. This was about 10 years after she had come to live with us!!! A display that Checkas has kept choosing to challenge herself and grow beyond her own comfort zone throughout all these years.

Showing some love

Still learning how to sits

Checkas decided that she would help me during my studies by being my personal cheer leader and study buddy. She consistently reminded me to take breaks regularly to give her pats. She also looks over my work for any errors I may have made and has the final say on what needs to be cut from my reports before I handed them in.

Expanding kitty consciousness

Hey take a break and give me pats

Checking my work

Time for a pats break... Again

We have come a long way since the early days with Checkas, she is far more adjusted to the world than she has ever been. We often find her chilling around the house laying out in various locations. Sometimes out the back yard just sitting on her little patio smelling the air or curiously investigating, patrolling and securing the perimeter of her home. Checkas has become far more social in general, accepting of new people (slowly though), more vocal asking for food, pats and to be let out. Checkas is the master of her backyard kingdom and her home, is much better at sitting on laps, can’t resist a good belly rub, loves a bit of a rough pat every now and again, and if you check her resume you will see she has indeed caught the red dot. This is not to say that she does not have her moments where she regresses, sometimes a noise will set her off or she gives a little hiss if she is caught slightly off guard, but she is much calmer in general. She lacks the intensity and high stress she came into the household with. It has been a humbling experience and a great journey of growth an understanding. If anything I am happy that we have been able to provide a nurturing environment for Checkas to heal from her past and find a new way of existence without the peril of the life she once had to endure and, at the very least, I can rest knowing that Checkas knows that she is loved.

Relaxed

Very relaxed

Happy kitty

On the larger scale of things I think that this story is reflective of many interactions we have in life. The truth is that most of the time we don’t know what others have been through, it is not possible to directly perceive another’s experience of life. Sometimes we forget that every living thing has their own individual story which has guided them to be exactly what they are today. Through nature, nurture or both we develop into what we think is our best self, equipped to deal and cope with what life gives to us. Sometimes it’s fair and sometimes it’s not. With the use of empathy compassion and understanding it is possible to heal and grow moving forward. To connect to people, animals, plants… and everything. To calm anxiety, to turn fear into love. This can be true for more than a just person and a housecat learning to coexist in each other spaces.

Belly pats please

You don't need this arm right?

Thank you for taking the time to read this work and I hope it has been of some value to your life journey.

Cope