Loving And Attentive People Show Help A Nervous Stray Cat Learn To Trust Humans

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Mar 9, 2022 1:00 PM EST

Meeting new people can be challenging, especially when you're a cat that hasn't had a real home in a while.

Jeri has an ear tip indicating that she lived outside for most of her life, with little contact with humans. While freedom in the wild sounds great, Jeri had enough of it after a while. She was ready to trade lurking through fields and abandoned lots for a lower-stress environment found in warm blankets and quiet, safe spaces.

Story written by Alex Lemieux.

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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

She was very nervous about becoming a resident in "Gloria's Room" at the Richmond SPCA. While she didn't have to search for food anymore, a change in environment—even for the better—could catch anyone off guard. There are new noises, new smells, new faces, and new paths to take. Yet, her feline behavior staff made sure she felt welcome and wanted. They sought to show Jeri that people can be conscious of her needs and desires.
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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

There are many boxes with window cutouts placed strategically throughout the room that Jeri loves tunneling through, providing her a safe route to explore her new surroundings. Cardboard is an excellent material for scent marking, making the room feel and smell safe for a cat like Jeri. When she's not exploring a world designed by her loving caretakers, she can sometimes be found perched on a shelf watching passersby greeting her and lining up to introduce themselves.
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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

This brave kitty has begun to place her trust in the staff, acclimating her to a new life. Jeri places emphasis on predictability and being mindful of her feelings. Unexpected noises, objects, movements, and occurrences can give any cat—or anyone—cause for concern. But Jeri is learning that she can be around people and seek safe attention by head-butting visitors, showing them she's ready for loving physical contact— slow, gentle pets around her head and shoulders. Now she knows that those around her will leave her alone when she's had her fill with pets, though.
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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

Jeri has also come to expect an indulgence from the high-value treats she just can't get enough of whenever someone comes by. Nevertheless, when she's filled with treats and love from her caretakers and visitors, Jeri then retires to her carrier lined with an assortment of colorful, plush bedding, offering her a serene place for a much-needed catnap.
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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

Jeri knows her carrier is her safe space. It's filled with familiar sights and smells, the first things she adapted to after coming in from the outside. It also represents the positive foundation her caretakers helped her build, as Gloria's Room was never supposed to be her forever home, only a place for healing and transition.
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via Richmond SPCA Robins-Starr Humane Center

As Jeri enters her new home with her adoptive family, she'll be looking to enjoy the same structure and routine she found with her caretakers. Jeri may miss the staff that showed her love, the tuna and turkey-flavored baby food fed to her on the end of a long spoon, and David Teie's Music for Cats album played for her. Yet, Jeri knows that now she has a new chance at a life that she should have had—a life on her terms.

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