Rosa Gets Adopted!

I am happy to report that Rosa just got adopted!


And before she got adopted, I was happy that I was able to work with her enough so that she was comfortable with me doing TTouch on her, and I also worked up to picking her up and putting her on my lap. I did this by following suggestions which I saw on a DVD set I have been watching recently, Feline Feral to Feline Friendly, by Dr. Rosalez-Ruiz and Angela Rentfro, which is a great seminar and very interesting approach to helping fearful and feral cats. Further along in the dvd, they acclimate the cat to being picked up by chunking the motion down -- starting out with just putting your hands on either side of the middle of the body, then gently lifting slightly off the ground, etc, then working up to lifting off the ground. This worked quite well with Rosa. I wanted to do this gradually because she can easily be startled and frightened by sudden motions. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to work up to this, and once I got her in my lap, she settled right in, as though this was something she was very comfortable with. I did TTouch on her in my lap, and she was very relaxed.


Then I got to the next question -- I wasn't sure how she preferred to get down or be let down from my lap. I was sitting on a stepladder with my feet on the ground, so was not far from the ground. I gradually bent my knees so that they were approaching the floor, and she actually hopped right off :)

So on to talking about her adopter. He is a very kind young man who has had Chihuahuas before, and when I showed him how to best introduce himself to and approach Rosa, he totally understood, and she seemed to take to him right away. Even in the midst of a very hectic day at the shelter, I could feel that he had a very calm energy with her. Unfortunately, we discovered when we put a leash on her that she was very sensitive about the contact with her neck area (she probably had an owner previously who pulled and dragged her around, who knows?), so I suggested that when it seemed comfortable and appropriate to try a harness, that would be a good idea. I know he will take good care of her and I wish them well!!

Jesse and the Cats

This little Chihuahua pictured above has become very bonded with me lately, following me around and checking out what I'm up to. He is very endearing, but he does have some issues! He can get jealous sometimes if you are paying attention to another animal, so sometimes when I am doing TTouch on one of the cats who is loose in the shelter, he comes up and starts barking or lunging at the cat. Most recently, when he does this, I will do TTouch on him with one hand and on the cat with the other. This settles both animals down pretty well, reassuring both of them. I am hoping I will have a chance to do this enough to give Jesse some more confidence so he does not feel like he is being neglected when someone else is being paid attention to.

Below is a picture of Jesse and Jigsaw Sr. (he was brought back to the shelter recently -- as we are a no-kill shelter, we assure adopters that they may bring back their animal if for any reason it doesn't work out in their home). Jigsaw cannot use his front left leg, so he cannot run as quickly as the other cats, though he can get going at a pretty good clip and can jump out or reach if need be. However, I was particularly concerned about getting Jesse and Jigsaw off to a better start with each other so they are the two that I worked on first with this concept. After TTouch, Jesse is still watching me as I am nearer to Jigsaw but he didn't feel the need to come over and bark and threaten this time. I know it will take time for Jesse to become more peaceful and comfortable when he is around cats, but we're off to a good start.