What makes Goose, in our estimation, a kitty who's going to be difficult to find a home for (in spite of his abundant charms)? A certain nerdy "body problem"...Please read on and, if you wish to learn more about meeting him at your home and giving him a trial adoption, please be
sure to email [email protected] with your answers to the questions asked below in this description - everyone who sends in
answers to the questions will get a prompt reply!
Goose would make a tremendous life companion for the kind of person (or people) who would "get" him. Many of his ways of interacting with a human match the things on those videos about "signs your cat has imprinted on you" that you may have seen on YouTube. He's got a lovely, baby-ish squeal, even though he's no longer a baby kitten (he was born in late April 2022). He squeals with excitement when he sees you and jumps on the chair or sofa just as you sit down - underneath your butt rather than on your lap as he intended to time it! He's definitely a lap-kitty and you may find that a lot of the pictures you take of him are from an underneath-him angle as he blisses out kneading (and drooling on) your shirt. Good vibrations (literally - because he purrrrrrs)!
He's polite when it comes to sleeping with you at night (once he is
done kneading himself into a slumberous stupor), preferring to nestle for
the night in the crook of your armpit. Though he likes to play and run
around, as any healthy kitten does, he doesn't get crazy or aggressive. Well, not too crazy too often. His personality is on the quiet, timid side, even though he shows vigor and humor when at play (he's not super-intelligent; in fact, he's somewhat simple). He is just the sort of kitty who forms a special bond with his person or people, all the stronger for being exclusive of new/extra people. Those videos explaining about "the signs your cat is attached to you" could use Goose as a model of the behavior - the squealing vocalizations, the kneading, the lap-taking-over.
But then there is his nutty "body problem" - i.e., he's got a drool
issue. He's so happy and purry to see you and to be on your lap kneading
and purring that the stuff just flows from his mouth. Actually, it's not so
bad when it pours or drips from his mouth; it's when it is more viscous and
STAYS there hanging like a solid (syrup? an icicle of drool?) on his chin
and whiskers...that's when I think some people would have trouble with him and find him (or it) "unacceptable". You can't resist reaching over to wipe it off of his fur, and then it comes back. It's because he's so happy to be with you, and that's touching, but when the drool itself touches your skin - actually, you have to laugh! He's so unself-conscious about how off-putting it can be!
Other potential issues with/about Goose are his kneading and a kind of outgoing, gregarious timidity. He loves to knead, often doing it on one side of you before changing his position so he can do it on the other side of you. Restlessly, in other words, until he finally soothes himself down into still sleepiness. This can really, seriously hurt if you don't have a sweater, blanket or cushion between his kneading paws and your skin or light clothing. As for his timidity, he gets weird inspirations to go running under a bed, and then just as soon running out again with a happy squeal to see what you are doing in his absence. Sometimes he doesn't seem to know if he wants to run away from you or run towards you, darting his head into your hand so you'll pet him, wrapping his tail all around you to keep YOU from getting away. He's probably never going to be the sort of kitty who
is confident with people he doesn't know well. Psychologically,
he's honestly a bit of a mess, in a trembly-rabbit sort of way, without ever being mean or scary or genuinely unsocial. (He likes to be where the action is, particularly if he's the one making the noise, by zooming around and bouncing into and out of your lap.)
In addition to his in-your-face "kneadiness" and his taking over of your lap/legs/chest when you might have things to do standing up, he can also
show a small independent streak, which is convenient if you can't be home with
him all the time.
Because of these issues, we are happy to have him brought to a home for a
"trial adoption" or foster period to see how things go. If you might be
interested, please write to [email protected] with an email containing
your answers to the questions below. Thank you for your time!
1. What sort of food would you like to feed your kitty? Dry food? If so,
what brands? If not, why not? Canned food? If so, what brands and what
ratio of canned food to dry food? If not, why not? Would you feed raw food
to him, or homemade recipes? If not, why not?
2. What are your views, pro or con, on neutering/spaying?
3. Under what circumstances would you consider parting with your cat? (We
are 100% no-kill, and all our fosters, even unadoptables, can stay with us
safely even if a home is never found. If at any time for any reason you no
longer want Goose to be part of your family, we would take him back.)
4. Do you intend for him to be an indoor/outdoor cat?
5. What are your views, pro or con, on declawing?
6. What kind/brand of kitty litter and water are you thinking of offering
to your cat?
7. Could you say a bit about your domicile (house, apartment, rented house,
dorm, etc.) and all the humans and non-humans, if any, who would be living
there with you and Goose?
8. Could you say something about your job/profession/source of income, your
area and institution of study if you are a student, and your
hobbies/interests/leisure pursuits? If you have any experience as a primary
caregiver for a non-human, or a dog-walker/cat-sitter/volunteer, you could
also mention that.
9. Was there anything about Goose, in his photos or in his
description, that appealed to you especially, seems to call to you? If so,
could you mention that here, please?
Thank you very much!