Size
(when grown) -
Details
Needs experienced adopter,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Meet Smokey, a beautiful, young, long-haired, Striped Tabby with a floofy tail and big, round, green eyes.
We don't have any information about this boy's life as a kitten nor how he ended up impounded at East Valley Shelter. What we do know is that he was held there for a month. During his stay he was neutered and received basic vetting (vaccinations, deworming, flea treatment).
Our shelter system is broken here in Southern CA, and has been for far too many years. When we first learned of Smokey was when he showed up at a neighbor's door, crying, begging for food and trying to get in her house.
I was able to get him into a carrier and quickly realized he was wearing his green shelter collar - with his impound number. With a little research we learned he was released somewhere in the vicinity to fend for himself.
This young fella is truly sweet and wanting human contact, however, he was either a former feral or had some kind of traumatic experience (aside from being held, then released in a foreign area).
You see, when Smokey first arrived, he was very defensive and would turn around and try to bite or swat (with claws). After a few days, I was able to begin handling him and realized he had severe matting in his coat. This, alone, could've contributed to his behavior since knotting that severe is very painful.
Over time, I've been able to either brush or trim out all the knotting. The largest clump, however, was on his tail and that eventually fell off - leaving him with a bald patch.
The ideal home for Smokey would be with someone who has experience working with cats like him... able to continue with socializing and trust exercises. Because he can still lash out, he probably shouldn't be around young children or the elderly... at least not until he's fully tamed and no longer reactive.
It's taken him some time to trust me but now he allows me to brush him, hold him and one of the sweetest things he does is place his front paws on my chest and bury his head under my chin.
If you think you're the right adopter for Smokey, please let us know. I would also be very-much open to him going home on a foster-to-adopt basis... just to see how he responds. It would be great to get him out of a cage.
You'll find his complete rescue journey chronicled in Photo Album #34 on our Facebook page: Save The Leadwell Kitties... including more video footage and photos.
