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Omaha Steve

(99,879 posts)
Mon Jun 22, 2015, 08:13 PM Jun 2015

Mr. Bernstein kitty rescue by Anonymous Port Townsend, WA




http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/story/mr-bernstein933




Weirdly enough, I found my rescue cat on Facebook. A friend posted a picture of Bernie, who was about to become homeless after the death of his person. He had already been on his own for about two months, with a couple of kind people coming around to leave food and water for him in the garage of his person's home, but now the house was on the market and he had to find a new home or just become a homeless cat or get taken to a shelter. His caretakers didn't think this was a good option for him as he was an older guy at about 8 years old and not at all sociable. I had lost my beloved 15 year old cat to lymphoma last summer and was ready to share my home with a new cat, and I thought a mature cat would be preferable to a kitten, since I'm out most of the day and have plenty of stuff for a kitten to destroy. Cats have always found me, rather than the reverse, and it seemed like fate placed his picture where I could see it.

Little did I realize how feral Bernie was. I thought he was just ultra shy or traumatized, but after two months of living in my bedroom closet and not responding to laser toys, fishing pole toys, wand toys, roast chicken, lox and other tasty treats, I'm beginning to think that maybe he is truly a miniature wild cat who does not want to associate with humans. At night he comes out of hiding and goes wilding around the house, which he seems to enjoy.

Even though I have lived with cats for most of my life, I think Bernie is truly my challenge cat of a lifetime.

Anonymous
Port Townsend, WA



The Animal Rescue Site was founded to provide food and care for rescued animals in shelters. With a simple, daily click of the purple "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Animal Rescue Site, visitors help provide food and care for rescued animals. Visitors pay nothing. Food and care is paid for by the site's sponsors and distributed by charity partners of The Animal Rescue Site. Visitors can help more by shopping in The Animal Rescue Site store. With each item purchased, shoppers funds food and care for rescued animals in need. The store offers a wide array of items to show your support, as well as fair-traded and handcrafted items from around the world.
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Mr. Bernstein kitty rescue by Anonymous Port Townsend, WA (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jun 2015 OP
Dear Anonymous PSPS Jun 2015 #1
What a handsome boy! hifiguy Jun 2015 #2
patience is the way nora and pip Jul 2016 #3
My Felix was like that Rhiannon12866 Jul 2016 #4

PSPS

(13,645 posts)
1. Dear Anonymous
Mon Jun 22, 2015, 08:36 PM
Jun 2015

My tried and true method of overcoming this problem:

1. Place a dish with some of that roasted chicken inside the closet when you go to bed. It will be empty the following morning.

2. Repeat this nightly, except move the dish six inches closer to your bed each time. It will be empty each morning.

3. After a night next to your bed, move the dish with roasted chicken to your bed. It will be empty the next morning.

4. Repeat #3 until you wake up to the cat sleeping on your bed.

This recipe has reliably worked for me with the three feral cats I've adopted over the years. In one particularly hard case, I ended up waking up to him draped across my head!

nora and pip

(1 post)
3. patience is the way
Sun Jul 10, 2016, 10:55 PM
Jul 2016

To Mr Bernstein's anonymous benefactor: I work with feral cats, and have taken in several kittens and cats. Be patient. It can take a long time. I have two four-year-olds whom I brought inside as young kittens. They are just beginning to let me 'kind of' pet them. Their brother, on the other hand, is much more trusting, and always has been.

Every cat is different, and they do things in their own way. Trust yourself, and trust Mr Bernstein. You are his person, and he will figure that out.

I commend to you the poem by Jacques Prévert: Pour faire le portrait d'un oiseau (How to paint the portrait of a bird). You should be able to find it in translation online.

Rhiannon12866

(206,934 posts)
4. My Felix was like that
Mon Jul 11, 2016, 12:21 AM
Jul 2016

I found him as a tiny kitten in a grocery store parking lot. And he was not cuddly, was a bitey little thing. But he just turned two and he seems to know now that I'm his person. He actually looks for affection now, but it did take awhile. He's still not a lap cat, but he has cuddled up right next to me and fallen asleep. And he has grown up into quite a beautiful cat, just took time - and patience.

My Felix:


Welcome to DU! It's great to have you with us! We also have a Pets Group here, if you're interested...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1161

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