Tom: sincere, confused, affectionate. unsure. We offer an extended trial period if required for cats like Tom. Our aim is to find the right fit with a new home.
Adoption Fee
220.00 incudes lifetime registration Microchip Number 991003001539805 Tom's ideal home will have a quiet and calm environment, a single person or a couple who are intuitive and have insight into behaviour and the needs of cats. Experience and interest with cats displaying behaviour issues would be an asset.
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Tom's development here in a rescue situation has been interesting to observe. If you read his rescue story you might see a very different cat has emerged yet the resulting change I feel is still rooted in his past.
So I will call it as I see it, Tom perhaps, is the feline version of a coward. His initial uncertainty displayed with other cats has evolved to witnessing him staring down cats that he knows will not fight back, actually attacking those cats or chasing them! Seen here in one of the photos giving 'the stare' to Cherie is an example but Cherie is not a cat to be cowed by others and he soon realised that. He is just a frightened cat, with fear and aggression combined. Tom arrived at our house in fairly good physical condition, somewhat remarkable given his time living in the drain. That's part of the enigma. He had been living in the drain of some friends and sneaking out after dark to forage for food. Read his story here: tomtom-the-pipers-son.html Tom also came in with, not surprisingly, 'emotional baggage'; poor self esteem when in the company of other cats but with a defensive attitude to us humans which caused him to be nicknamed 'Snappy Tom.' His messages were very mixed, smoochy, jumpy, timid and sometimes the reverse. There was a nip here and there at the beginning whilst handling him, which I was obliged to overlook given that he appeared to have had a reasonable amount of trauma. We know he had hidden in the drain for some weeks. We know he had been in a scuffle with another cat. We know he had food anxiety. We know he has a sensitive skin and is uncomfortable with body patting but he does like gentle head pats. HAMPL have some helpful treatments to moderate anxiety and aggression and I am about to initiate some treatments. We strongly suspect he was dumped due to behaviour issues. He was not desexed. Early on Tom went on a trial adoption and he was a much loved cat by a young teenage girl. He lived in her bedroom and had access to the rest of the house. He was an single cat and his only misdemeanour was to bite her on the arm at times. I told her not to allow that. She thought it was just his way of playing. I thought it had other connotations. Unfortunately her father was suddenly transferred to another state with his employer needing the family to move from Sydney to Qld. The girl didn't think it was fair to Tom and wanted him to come back to us. Her regret in losing Tom was keen and for Tom it was probably another upheaval that did not help. Tom has ample reason to be an angry cat. He has bitten me on a few occasions and he means it. He has bitten me when I wasn't taking notice of him, he has bitten me when I have talked to him nicely but which he may perceive to be challenging because I have looked him in the eyes while doing so, he bites and he runs. Again, cowardly behavior in a frightened cat. He needs structured discipline at times so that he knows what the boundaries are if crossed. Telling him in a firm voice 'No!' and giving him time to save face is most often what is all that is needed. Overall, he needs time to heal from those unknown traumas that he came in with. For more information on Tom please contact us. Age 2 years
Medical Notes Desexed, vaccinated, microchipped, viral tested and negative.
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