OAKLAND — Sometimes a cat's journey from shelter cage to forever home requires a few diversions along the way. That's the case with Milton, one of our newer members of the Forgotten Kitten Project.
Milton is a shy, 7-month-old boy with a black, silky coat and green eyes that are often dilated in fear. Cat Town rescued him from Oakland Animal Services when our staff saw he was too scared in a cage to be viable for adoption in that environment.
Milton, photographed at the Oakland shelter, is now building confidence at the Cat Town adoption center. Photo by Andrew Dorman.
What happened next illustrates the customized approach Cat Town takes to meeting each cat's needs and at a pace that is in their best interest. Over the course of several weeks, Milton went from shelter, to a private room at the Cat Town studios, to a foster home to recover from an illness, and finally the free-roaming Cat Zone, where he is one of the new adoptable cats you can meet this week.
All of these options provided by Cat Town are designed to meet each cat's individual needs, whether it is medical, social or in an effort to get them the most exposure and best chance to find their guardian.
Caught mid-hiss! Hissing is one of the common behaviors we see in our Forgotten Kittens at the start of their socialization work. Photo by Cathy Niland.
For Milton, it was clear to our staff who met him at the shelter the he would benefit from a stay in our Studios, where he would get one-on-one attention from our specially trained volunteers and staff, in a tranquil environment designed to allow former shelter cats to decompress. That's where he bunked with two other kittens, and they began to form a bond and encourage each other to play.
While all three were in their early days at the Studios, they came down with upper respiratory infections. This prompted a move to a short-term foster home, where they were medicated and had space to recover away from the rest of our cat population.
For Milton, this also meant the added benefit of sustained daily interactions to help him build some confidence. With a dedicated foster mom, Milton had the opportunity to experience a positive human relationship. After two weeks, he got a clean bill of health and started the next phase of his journey.
Milton has made great strides, despite the setback with his cold. He loves pets and even will sit in a lap, once he warms up to a person.
Already equipped with the good looks, Milton is destined to be a handsome house panther. Photo by Liz Lazich.
Milton is by far one of the shyest cats in the adoption space. So you may not see him out mixing and mingling when you come in with your Highwire cappuccino from the RAWR Coffee Bar. Instead, he'll probably be hiding out in the Quiet Zone or maybe into one of our miniature Oakland landmarks.
This is where you come in. Are you a patient person or a cat whisperer, who is willing to take the slow approach a cat like Milton needs? We think this sweet boy will blossom in a home with a confident cat and some understanding humans.Reach out to info@cattownoakland.org if you're ready to talk about adopting, or drop into 2869 Broadway during our open hours to speak with a trained adoption counselor.
Cat Town is working to help other rescues across the country replicate our work with Forgotten Kittens thanks to a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund. Learn more about our Forgotten Kitten Project in our weekly Kitten Wire dispatch. Be sure to check out our full series.
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