Stray cats teach their kittens to survive by avoiding danger, including people. By the time their kittens are 4 months old, most rescue organizations believe it’s too late to socialize them, so many never make it out of the shelter.
At Cat Town, we give these kittens all the time they need to learn humans are safe through our Forgotten Kitten Project.
I pulled 5-month-old Raine and Salem from the Oakland shelter myself. Salem was terrified and would freeze if you reached under his blanket to pet him. Raine was untouchable, and so untrusting that if she saw you petting Salem, she would run over and swat swat swat you to defend her brother.
Raine (front) and Salem, huddled together for safety on their way to CatTown.
After our volunteers spent months socializing these two, Salem finally started to cuddle. Raine could see her brother was safe and began playing with toys, but she was still wary of people. Then – one day – something clicked for her. Raine started following me around, looking up at me expectantly, ready for pets. Suddenly she was the sweetest little lap cat!
I saw how scared Raine was when I first met her, so I know how much courage she needed to let her guard down. She had to unlearn everything her mom had taught her about survival to take a chance on finding love. I’m still so proud of her.
When you donate to Cat Town, it’s like you’re right by our side helping Raine take that first big step.
Once she felt safe enough to let her guard down, Raine could be a silly kitten.
Each day these kittens spend in a cage makes them more afraid, and makes it harder to earn their trust. But sometimes I have to wait until we have enough resources before Cat Town can step in to help these little guys. That breaks my heart, because they’re still so small, and I know no other organization is going to help them.
That's why I'm excited that Maddie’s Fund is doubling your donations through December 15, up to $30,000. With these funds, I won’t have to hesitate to help another Forgotten Kitten in need.
Please consider making a donation to Cat Town to help us give every Forgotten Kitten a second chance.
Marie Carney
Cat Care Coordinator
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