# Today is the first day



## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Of the rest of one little black kitty's life!!

I'm very excited  A couple months ago I started a new job at a spay/neuter clinic + no-kill animal shelter. Around the time I started, we got a litter of 4 very feral little kittens. They were scared, untrusting, about 8 weeks old at the time. They would hiss and cower when you approached. We knew they had little chance of being adopted when they acted like that (especially since the litter was mostly black). Utilizing some of the tips from "kitty boot camp" that I learned here on CF, I would work with them every time I came into work. I would hold them, gently pet them, talk to them calmly. Every week, little by little, we saw improvement. About a month ago, one of the kittens actually started purring when I picked him up. And so I put him down on the ground and allowed him some free time in the cat room, to play with the other free roaming cats (who get to free roam since they are so good natured). They LOVED it! Soon after that they all learned to purr and butter me up so they could be given play time. Fast forward a month, and my sister became interested in getting another cat- a playmate for Kovie, since her roommate is moving out and he'll soon be an only cat. 

She came into the shelter with me to meet the cats. I never expected one of the feral kittens to run right up to us (he'd been roaming at the time) and start purring and nuzzling her chin when she held him. It didn't take long for her to make up her mind....

We're picking him up today, and I'm just so excited. Little Bunsen (his shelter name) doesn't even realize that he'll never have to spend another night in a cage for his entire life! I'm so excited for him, and I just know he and Kovie will be the perfect match. And I'm so proud of my sister for deciding to rescue a black cat- we have so very many of those right now, they need homes the most! (They all need homes, but black cats always seem to get over looked)

Today is the first day of the rest of his life! He's probably sitting in his cage with his sister right now, meowing to be let out to play. Oh little Bunsen, don't you know what a special day it is for you!?  









_The only picture I have right now- taken with my cell phone. I guarantee you there will be more before the night is through!_


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Congratulations to little Bunsen and your sister. He is a beautiful kitty.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks Leazie! He's really become such the cute little snuggler! He's so loveable, and he deserves to have a good home! I love all the shelter cats as if they were my own, so I'm understandably quite happy for him. I am a little jealous though- I'm going to miss that little cuddler a whole lot when I'm at work visiting the kitties.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

What awesome news! ...and I bet you won't miss him as much as you think you will, you'll be too full of the knowledge that you made a difference in his life, a difference that *changed* his life forever. :wink Good job, you!


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

Wonderful! :luv 

Fran


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

He hs mastered CUTE


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

That's exciting for little Bunsen (cute name, by the way). Does your sister live near you? Maybe you'll get a chance to see him all the time....?


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## Miso (Dec 5, 2009)

Awesome!! Congrats to the cute guy.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Oh, I'm sure he'll be visiting plenty. Sarah always visits with Kovie. I'll get to see him a few days every month. 3 hours and we're going to pick him up!!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

What a lucky little boy! :luv


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## lv2ski (Feb 18, 2010)

What a cutie! I bet it's so rewarding knowing that the positive state he is in now, that you helped with that. Congrats to you!

The only thing I ask is that you post many pictures :mrgreen:


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

*He's here!!*

Little stinker hasn't stopped purring since we took him from his cage in the shelter. We weren't gonna have him meet my cats, but Cinder and Chica barged in and were checking out his carrier. There was no hissing, and since he knew and got along well with so many of the free roaming cats at the shelter, we said "what the heck" and let them meet. Bunsen greeted Cinder and Chica with loving rubs and purrs, and the girls were like "What the...." But their reaction was more like "Oh, another cat, whatta ya know?" After last weekend's birthday party, nothing can phase them.

Then came Nito. He strolled in unexpectedly, looked around like "oh hey, a cat." Then he got the smell, tensed up, hissed once and stalked off to his cat tree to sit and pout by the window. 

Currently, him and Cinder are playing with some toy mice while i try to get them to hold still for a picture. Chica is watching from the sidelines, waiting for the perfect moment to do one of her amazing leaps. Nito is sitting on the couch, giving me "the look", but remaining calm. Looks like Bunsen *will* indeed get to come to my house and visit when my sister and Kovie come, since he meshes with my cats as if he's always been here!

Pictures coming soon.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's great! There's nothing sweeter than a little black kitten! Congratulations, Aunt Rach!


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## velvet6 (Dec 17, 2008)

Hey that's awesome! Good for you for helping these kitties out.

Still don't understand the stigma against black cats. They're my very favorite, actually. They remind me of sleek, little panthers. Dunno why some people get skittish 'round them. Silliness.


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

Congrats to both you and your sister. Love hearing kitty rescue stories  He's very cute too!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Bunsen is a cutie. Im so pleased another black kitties got a forever home!
You did a fabulous job bringing him around. Its amazing what a little TLC will
do. You have the touch! Its so much fun being an Auntie too. Its like they are
yours also- part of the family! :blackcat


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I love this thread!!!!  

still waiting for pictures.......


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## AgileOllie (Jan 26, 2010)

How exciting!! I too am waiting anxiously for pics!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Sorry everyone! I've had camera issues, hopefully I'll get some pictures soon!

In other news, Bunsen, now renamed Binks, is doing just fine. He gets along instantly with any cat he meets. My sister and her roommates and her friends are all head-over-heels in love with him ever after just a few days. He's taking after his new big brother Kovie, and learning from him. Yesterday I went for a visit with Chica and we went for a hike. Chica and Kovie have always stuck close and Binks picked up right away. We all went for a nice little off leash stroll through the woods. It was so cute and fun to see them go running off the trail... they wanted to walk across every fallen log and climb on every rock we came across!


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

I just saw this thread - yay, a rescued black kitty! Makes me so happy 

But I really want to see pictures! C'mon camera, co-operate!

Sigma is jealous that you can take them on off-leash forest hikes - he would absolutely love that. Unfortunately there's not a whole lot of forest and nature areas in Holland (Utrecht). Not to mention you can't really hike because it's so flat! I miss the mountains...

Can't wait to see Binks in action!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

FINALLY!

Still having issues with uploading from my camera. My card-reader is missing, but I have a feeling my naughty cats dragged it into the depths beneath my bed. :? But my sister put up pictures!! :yellbounce 

And so here they are!









_Binks, and adoptive big brother Kovie_









_Binks, Kovie, and little sister Marley. (This picture is a break through... little Marley, a shy kitty, was not as enthusiastic about Binks joining the family as Kovie was. She took a few days to warm up to him, and is still iffy at times. But she does whatever Kovie does, so inevitably she cannot stay away!)_


We might be going on another hike tomorrow. We'll be sure to remember our camera this time!!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Wow! They LOVE him!!!!! That just seems to mean he was meant to belong there! :luv


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Yea. Sarah is amazed at how well, and seriously quickly he just joined right into the family. 

But Kovie loves everyone. He loves to meet cats, and is totally not shy or nervous at all. He tends to have a very calming effect on a lot of cats, an has actually helped me calm down a feral kitten before. That kitten, grew up to become Nique, and got adopted by a close friend. Him and Chica play all the time :wink: I guess the point of the story is to say, I think Kovie has a lot to do with how well it went, simply because he is so friendly, accepting, and playful! (Binks as well!)


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I have had a lot of cats come through my door and my heart and I've only had ONE cat who was so completely accepted from the very first moment and I appreciate that it is unusual. You've got some special kitties!


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

Aww! Kovie looks so proud of himself in the first picture, he's gorgeous. I'm so happy to hear they're getting along! I love to watch kitties clean one another, hehe. Cute!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks, tanyuh. I'll have to show this post to my sister- she always brags about her little boy, and how handsome he is. She would just eat up everyone's compliments on Kovie's looks. I gotta admit, Chica sure has a good lookin' brother  

@Heidi: I've never been able to figure it out- Are Chica and Kovie so friendly and accepting because of how socialized they were since a young age, or because something in their genetics makes them squishy and laid back? Maybe a combo of both?


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