I want to talk about a cat named Ruffles.
A little background, I volunteer, once a week, for a cat rescue. I clean the cages, scoop litter, refill the food dish, shake out the bed, add water, play with the cat and occasionally talk to a potential adopter that stops by.
On this particular day, there was a cat in the center named Ruffles. She was beautiful! This mostly solid black 7 year-old, long-haired cat with a gray mane. She was super friendly, loved to be brushed, and was quite a chatty girl!
For some reason, Ruffles was spending most of her time hanging out in her litter box. Usually when this happens, it’s a red flag that a cat is sick, nervous or stressed out. She wasn’t sick as far as I could tell. So I figured, despite her friendly demeanor, she might be stressed out.
Her habit of hanging out in the litter box was also troubling because the window to that part of the cage was covered with a poster. So no one, who might be interested in adopting her, could see her if she was in her litter box.
I tried to coax her out in every way I could think of. It worked one time, which was enough for me to be able to get to her litter box and scoop it. But as soon as I opened the divider again, she was back in there.
Even after I left, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Should I adopt her? Truth be told, I already have three cats and I live in a small one-bedroom apartment. So as I was thinking about her, I kept having to remind myself of this fact.
I do plan to adopt another cat but I’m thinking years from now. I’d like to adopt a senior cat next time around. I hate the thought that some of these seniors have to spend whatever time they have left, in a cage. I would rather adopt one and let it live out its days in a comfortable home environment.
My oldest cat just turned 7. Next in line is 5 years-old The third is about to turn 2. They are all indoor only cats and we live on the 2nd floor. So barring any major illness, I’m going to have cats for a while. I do hope she gets adopted soon because if she doesn’t, I might find myself with four cats after all.
The Cat Lady Speaks 