PAW --> Available Adult Cats -->  "Thumbelina"




Name: Thumbelina (polydactyl) 
Color: DSH Brown/Gold Tabby
Age: Born Approx. March, 2002
Gender: Spayed Female

History: 
Thumbelina is the matriarch of a feral family of four adult cats and a litter of 
juvenile kittens that PAW rescued in the fall of 2005.  They had been living in a 
old unused garage and backyard of a rental property.  They had survived by getting 
the odd handout from a renter and from food they foraged in a large open field 
next door to them.  There was no resident caregiver who could have provided for 
them as the property was slated for demolition within the year.  We felt we had no 
option but to bring them to the Cat Compassion Centre and there they began the 
process of learning to trust their human friends (the kittens all found adoptive 
homes).  The volunteers love this incredible family.  We have learned so much 
about how a cat family communicates and socializes with eachother.  They have 
also gotten along great with the many cats that have come to live temporarily at 
the shelter.  This is probably because they have always lived as a multiple cat 
family.  Thumbelina is a beautiful, sturdy and compact girl, all the more cute 
with her big many-toed paws.


Personality: 
Thumbelina has made incredible progress.  She kept herself hidden away for several 
months and then in the summer of 2006, we started to see her sitting on various 
cat furniture at eye level.  Now, it's a common sight to see her down on the floor, 
hanging out with her family, snoozing under the couch, playing with toys (which is 
so very cute because of her big feet!).  If these cats would have had the opportunity 
to be in a home when we first rescued them, their socialization would have gone 
much quicker however they are doing the very best they can.  Feral cats tame up 
beautifully and bond very deeply with their human.  This family can no longer be 
labeled as feral because the safety the centre fostered a willingness in them to 
learn to trust people.