Former Feral Cat Hid From Foster Mom For A Year, But Love & Patience Win Over Fear

March 29, 2022

Used to the feral life, Gia Puffs the cat was not fond of visiting with people. In fact, she pretty much hid from her foster mom for a year. But a toy wand showed the shy cat that getting petted was a wonderful thing.

And Gia only learned this delightful fact because of foster mom Stacia’s patience, understanding, and love. The story of Gia becoming a foster fail and happy in her forever home began more than a year ago when the world was quarantined in their homes…

From Hiding to Hugs

As lockdowns fell to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Stacia decided it was the purrfect time to foster a cat. As we all know, the two weeks stretched on. But that was okay with Gia Puffs as she was content to quarantine herself beneath couches and in hidden spots around Stacia’s home.

“Gia definitely wasn’t trying to be my friend,” Stacia explained on Instagram.

The terrified tuxedo cat greeted her foster mom with hisses and growls as she climbed to the highest perch she could find. That perch was on top of the bathroom mirror. And so determined to keep to herself, Gia attempted to sleep on high.

But sleeping on such a precarious perch led to her falling, so Stacia put a comfy cat bed on the sink to break her fall. This act was just one of many on Stacia’s part to show Gia she was safe and sound.

Gia wasn’t convinced, however.

Though Stacia went about her business in the house to show Gia all was well, the shy tux would “bristle” if she approached.

Not Even Snacks Could Save the Day

Nor could Gia be convinced to try friendliness with snackish bribery, no matter how many different foods or treats Stacia tried. The dedicated foster mom even offered Gia the snacks on the end of a long wooden spoon, so there would be no accidental contact. Still, Gia wasn’t having it.

“It was heartbreaking how terrified she was and that she didn’t realize that she was finally safe.”

Things took a difficult turn when Gia took up residence beneath Stacia’s couch and stayed there for the next ten months, no matter how much her foster mom tried to convince her everything was okay. She tried every bit of advice she could find, but nothing worked.

Yet glimpses of Gia on the kitty cam showed the skittish cat playing her heart out in the dark hours when Stacia slept. Gone was the shy and fearful cat, replaced with a playful kitty who would pounce and frolic. Stacia wanted Gia to feel this secure and happy all the time, but the former feral still hid during the day, and Stacia was feeling “hopeless.”

A message from Little Wanderers Cat Rescue in New York City changed everything, though.

Cat Whisperer to the Rescue!

When Little Wanderers connected Stacia with a cat lover named Susie, things started to change thanks to this Cat Whisperer’s tips and techniques. First, Susie had Stacia block all accesses to places Gia could hide. The kitty wasn’t happy about it, but she took up a spot on the window ledge instead. This switch to the ledge helped Gia embrace life in the open and encouraged her to try some chicken baby food off the long wooden spoon.

The spoon-feeding went slowly, with Susie encouraging Stacia all the way. But finally, Gia decided she liked the pampering.

Stacia began offering Gia a wand toy for play. As the sessions went on, the hopeful cat mom began to pet her blossoming friend with the wand. Gia deemed this acceptable, and slowly but surely, Stacia was able to start stroking Ms. Puffs with her hand.

Susie kept up the coaching, and Stacia kept working with Gia consistently. There were challenging moments of kitty nervousness, but in the end, Gia fell into her housecat role with zest. She was eating, playing, hanging out on the couch rather than under it, and she even began to purr. Stacia soon found herself with a lap cat!

Stacia said of her new kitty BFF, “She is one of the most cuddly and loving cats I’ve ever met.”

“She just needed time and patience and unconditional love.”

And Stacia had all that to give and more!

Baking Buddies Forever

As Stacia soon learned, Gia was top-notch at biscuit baking, which worked out great because she loves to help baker Stacia whip up her delicious confections. And after purrfecting their friendship recipe, it was clear that this fostering situation would become a forever one.