Aurora
In my last post, I wrote about a few reasons why RAPS staff may find it best to keep certain cats in cages for a time. On rare occasions, though, there is no reason that a cage dwelling cat should be there… no reason, that is, except out of respect for the wishes of the cat.
Leslie sent me this story about a pretty former feral named Aurora:
“Did you know that we have a cat who has remained in her cage in the Connor House for several years? Believe it or not, Aurora will not come out into the big, bad world outside of her little home. She came to us feral, and now is tame but shy. I used to lift her out occasionally and set her on the floor, but she’d immediately return to the safety of her cage. She doesn’t seem to mind when other cats join her in there, but Aurora has made up her mind. She’s not coming out, no way, no how.”
The Connor House is the name of one of the buildings housing cats at the sanctuary. The front door is open to give cats access to the large open area of the front yard in the warmer seasons and there are cat doors to allow movement between indoors and outdoors during the cooler months.
Aurora’s cage door is wide open; she can climb down any time she feels like it. She does not feel like it. Despite being friendly and calm when I visited her for a soft and a few photos, she clearly hadn’t the slightest intention of venturing forth.
According to Leslie, “Aurora is actually the 2nd cat at the sanctuary who didn’t want to leave her cage. Many years ago, we had a cat with leukemia who didn’t leave her cage for almost 5 years.”