Author: Rudha-an

Miss Nightshade Jenny still has a long way to go, but she has made a major breakthrough. It started with the laser pointer. I managed to get her out from under the dresser to play. Then she got brave enough to stay out to eat and play some more. Once in a while, she would remember that I was there and dart back under the futon.

Last night, a minor miracle occurred. I was parked on the futon with a blanket covering me and I was reading. I was watching Jenny out of the corner of my eye, but my main goal was just getting her used to my presence. Something made me look down by my feet. Jenny was on the Futon! I left her alone to explore and relax a bit. Eventually, I worked my hand down to her and touched her cheek. Oh my. A scritching fest and a lot of purring followed. Once in a while, she would forget herself and hiss at me, followed by head bonking. She even came up to my face to butt my head and nibble on my eyebrows.

Wow! She still gets scared and dives under the futon in fear, but she’s getting better. Here are a few more photos that I managed to get. Please forgive the blurry ones. She’s not used to the camera yet and I didn’t want to use the flash.

As most of you know already, we have adopted a young kitty named Nightshade Jenny. It isn’t for the faint of heart. This little beauty is going to take work. She was found abandoned on the street and spent a while at the county shelter before being sent to the SFSPCA. All of this adds up to a pretty traumatic experience for a young kitty of only 4 mos. or so.

After we brought her home on Saturday, she dove under the dresser and only came out to eat and use her box…when we were out of the room.

Last night was a major breakthrough. She had her dinner and then I went in to keep her company. I parked myself on the futon and and teased her with the laser pointer. It worked. She would come out to chase the light. It started with her dashing out a couple of feet before realizing I was there and diving back under cover. Eventually, she started spending more and more time out on the floor playing. She even let me touch her with a finger.

The kibble tossing began when I started to suffer from terminal laser pointer thumb and had to quit. She finally got brave enough to head for her kibble dish. She was still in the mood to play. She took a bite of kibble, tossed it in the air and then batted it around the floor a bit before eating. She repeated this routine for almost an hour. Evidently, the kibble tossing got the attention of Tito. The next thing I knew he was laying at the door, snaking a paw under the door and cooing like crazy. Miss Nightshade Jenny went to the door and they kept each other company for a while.