One of the new faces at Home for Life® is Gertie, who came to us from the Animal Humane Society, Minneapolis, MN in the summer of 2018. It seems her eyes carry a worried expression in her sweet face. Indeed, Gertie is a very sensitive girl and was suffering from anxiety while in the shelter that manifested as excessive grooming causing hair loss on her stomach and chest. The shelter believed she would be better off in a rescue or foster group, but no rescues offered to help her and she was facing euthanasia, although Gertie reportedly used her litter box well and was a gentle, affectionate cat.
Gertie now lives at Home for Life®, and enjoys window views, canned foods of all types and quiet naps. Gertie is independent and likes her space. Above all, she desires to have a serene life and a predictable schedule—from both these aspects she derives a sense of security which reduces the anxiety that had resulted in the hair loss due to excessive grooming. In our stress-filled world, even little cats can feel the pressure, and excessive grooming and other behavior quirks are ways animals can deal with situations they can't control that produce a sense of unease. But now at Home for Life®, with her routine secure and predictable, her daily life has a sense of calm that had been missing when she was an unwanted cat at the shelter, not knowing what her fate held next.
For Gertie, the greatest satisfaction is that her days will be the same, and her routine stable. This stability and familiarity of routine creates the security that high strung animals like Gertie crave. Deriving security from her predictable schedule, Gertie has calmed down and no longer bothers her beautiful and unusual fur coat. Did you know? Most orange cats or cats with orange and white fur are males—it is very unusual to see a female cat with orange and white fur, let alone one so pretty as Gertie. It was so hard to think of this beautiful, sensitive cat losing her life, when her allergies and physical symptoms only disclosed the sensitivity of her gentle spirit. Anyone who deals with the stress of modern life will find a kindred soul in the sensitive Gertie who has found the stability and security she needed at Home for Life®.