Rusty

Rusty, a six-year-old declawed orange tabby male with a pug tail, was surrendered to the shelter because he was too grumpy and would bite too much. Without his claws, biting was the only defense left to him. At the shelter it quickly became apparent that he did not like the other cats and his life quickly filled with stress. He was even wary of people and when it came time to be put away for bed at night, the staff would reach for the leather welder’s gloves and towels and yet he was still powerful and upset enough to bite so hard that he was able to break the skin underneath the leather. A regular visitor to the shelter who was thinking of becoming a foster parent took one look at Rusty and decided he was just the kind of cat he wanted, a “man’s cat” as he put it. After some struggling and fighting to place Rusty into a carrying cage, it was off to a new home, much to the relief of the shelter workers. When he arrived home and the cage door was opened, Rusty immediately took to his new home and claimed the house as his own.

Over the first couple of weeks, Rusty was gradually introduced to the home’s two dogs, an old golden lab and a young hyper husky. While Rusty still keeps his distance from the dogs, he has resolved to the fact that his home must be shared with dogs and humans. Rusty also quickly discovered that his instinct to bite at human hands whenever they came near was no longer necessary in his new home. With a bit of patience and space, the foster parent was able to gain Rusty’s trust and now Rusty can be found sleeping on his back in the morning sunlight, cuddling with his human friend or can be found chasing one of his many toys (one of his favourite toys is a Kong for cats).

While Rusty still becomes nervous when there is a lot of commotion or a movement around his personal space, he has come to trust the people around him. All that Rusty ever needed was a little understanding, understanding of the fact that he will bite if he’s scared but that’s because his natural defense, his claws, were taken away from him. His foster parent, over time, has learned what scares Rusty and provokes him to bite and the two of them have reached an understanding where they are both happy (and even the dogs and Rusty have settled their uncertainties). Even strangers to Rusty with young children can visit and play with Rusty, and as long as they understand Rusty’s boundaries, both cat and children can enjoy each others company.

Mango shares a similar problem as Rusty and while Mango’s ending may not have the same result as Rusty’s, Mango does deserve the same chance to shine as Rusty was given.