Tova
What do we know about him?
We first heard about Tova about a year ago. His mom had left him behind after moving her kittens elsewhere, and we received a call to pick him up since he was only about a week old. Before we arrived, the person who called said they’d decided to keep him, as a neighbor was interested. They mentioned taking him to the vet and seemed to be doing their best, so we left it at that.
About a month ago, the same person called us again, asking if we could take in a cat they had “caught.” They told us that if we couldn’t get there within the hour, they’d release him. We rushed over, even though we live about two hours away, and found a cat in an extremely small carrier with a bag of dry food beside him. That’s when we realized this kitty wasn’t a stray but a house cat they were abandoning. We don’t know how long he had been left outside in the carrier before we arrived. The poor baby was scared, but he still asked for pets and let us comfort him on the drive back.
As we drove, we noticed his markings looked familiar, and after a little digging, we realized he was the same kitten we’d gotten a call about a year earlier. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get much information from the neighbor, Tova’s former owner. We don’t know why they abandoned him. We learned from the caller that Tova had been kept in a cage most, if not all, of the time, fed only dollar-store dry food, and never taken to a vet. Even his name, Tova, is one we gave him—the neighbor didn’t tell us his real name or meet us to hand him over; they simply left him outside like unwanted furniture on the curb.
Right now, Tova still needs his vaccinations and neutering. We wanted to give him time to get used to us, our home, and our other cats, and allow him to mourn the loss of his previous home. From the start, it was clear he was grieving; he cried and called out for several days, meowing and staring expectantly up the staircase. Yet when someone came down, he would hide or lash out. This behavior soon made it obvious that Tova hadn’t just been neglected; he’d likely been abused. He called for his owner but was also scared of what might happen when they came down the stairs. He was fearful of hands above him, adding to our suspicion that he might have been hit. It’s been a long process to help him understand he’s safe and won’t be punished, even when he lashes out from fear.
His Eating Habits
We think he was only fed dry food during his first year, making it hard to transition him to wet food. At first, he refused it entirely, so we started by mixing it with treats to tempt him, and eventually, he began eating it. Though he still prefers kibble, we only offer it as a treat. We also suspect he wasn’t fed consistently, as he has food available all the time now, yet only eats twice a day at most.
Adjusting to a New Home
It wasn’t easy for him to adjust to a new home with unfamiliar people. We’re fairly certain he hasn’t had experience with other cats. He gets along civilly with our three other cats, but he’s still wary and a bit scared of them. He might be best suited to a home where he’s the only cat or the oldest one, as he seems to see other cats as threats. Now that he’s more comfortable, we see how much he loves exploring and inspecting everything. Knowing how free-spirited he is, we can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him, trapped in a tiny carrier for who knows how long.
Moving Forward
Now that Tova is settling in, we’re preparing to take him to the vet, get him up to date on everything, and eventually find him a forever home. His ideal home would let him explore freely, without confining him to a room or, worse, a cage. He needs a patient adopter who understands he’s still learning and adjusting after spending his first year with someone who didn’t know or care to take proper care of him.
Tova is such a sweet, silly goose, and we’d definitely keep him if we could! Unfortunately, our male cat was raised as a single kitten for a good portion of his life and is a huge bully to those who don’t stand up to him, which has led us to keep them separate in our small apartment. It’s not an ideal solution because of the reduced space. We feel awful for Tova. Our cat is older and sleeps most of the time But Tova still loves to play and run around. The sweetheart makes do with the space he has but we hope to find his forever home soon so he has more liberty to play around and be his adorable silly self. It’s been amazing to watch him open up and let his goofy, loving personality shine a little more each day.
Reach Out About Tova!
Gallery
How his owner left him
During our drive home
Tova being cute and goofy with us
