Fran

Fran, having been an indoor cat, was unnerved, unsociable and unhappy upon arrival at Battersea. Only the most intrepid amongst us would venture near such a scowly, growly girl when she was in her pen. Thankfully, one of the socialising rooms became available and Fran took the slot.
As is usually the case, the peace and relative tranquillity has had a calming effect on a stressed and miserable cat (not to mention the thrill of so many mouse visitors. They came in, but they did not leave). The new and improved Fran made such a good impression on one of our volunteers that she took her home for some respite care:


Foster Report:

So as I already told you, I adored her while she was in the socialising room at Battersea, but she is far more wonderful in a home environment! She settled nicely, first in our bedroom, and now she is happy all over the flat. She still startles a bit with loud noises, but calms down within seconds. She has bonded well with my partner but is more confident and relaxed with me.

She turned out to be a good eater. Salmon is her favourite, and as of Sunday she is eating two full meals a day.

At first she had a funny aggressive side. The only time she got truly aggressive was when she got seriously spooked and ran into her 'safe zone' (our closet), and I went into our closet as I thought she was under the bed. That is the only time she swatted me with her nails, and compared to some other swats I have received from other cats, she was gentle. She did swat us a few other times in the beginning, but only with her paw and no nails. Now that I think about it, she has yet to hiss or growl. At first she occasionally lashed out if she got over excited after playing, or if she walked by her and she wasn't expecting us, but that stopped as soon as she settled.

She likes to play, with toys as well as by running from room to room and pouncing on the stuffed mice. It is really sweet. She loves a brown paper bag I put on the floor for her, and that keeps her occupied for at least an hour at a time. When she first arrived she charged at my husband a few times and pounced on his feet, which was hilarious for me to watch, but slightly unsettling for him.

She loves being on our bed! She kneads he paws on the duvet for ages, and LOVES a good cuddle. She loves to spoon, and to take a nap on me. When we get in bed at night she normally starts off on our bed for 1/2 hour, and then goes to sleep in her bed on the floor for the rest of the night. If I'm on the couch she will sit on the arm of it next to me. She is so sweet! Her sweet loving side did not shine through nearly as much in the Home. While she is quite independent, and can go hours without giving a hoot about me, she will also satisfy someone's need to have a companion cat.

As I already told you, I do agree with you that she needs to be an outdoor kitty. My honest opinion is that she is happy being an indoor cat now, if only because our flat is so new to her that she isn't bored and frustrated yet. She loves sitting and looking out the windows. Believe it or not I was fooling around with her a bit ago, and put a dog lead on her. Of course I thought she would be less than pleased, but she didn't mind at all! I kid you not. I opened our sliding balcony door all the way and let her sit just inside the door opening and have a sun bath. She loved it! She looked so happy and so relaxed, lead and all.

Normally my flat is super boring and quiet, but this week we had quite a few people in and out (mainly repair people and a friend who's boiler broke). She always came out to say hello and give them a sniff before going on with her busy routine of playing and sun bathing.

Obviously whoever adopts her needs to be extra patient in the first several days.

Thanks to these insightful notes from her foster carer, we now know that Fran would greatly benefit from having access to her own garden. She needs to live with one or two experienced adults who will give her plenty of time and space to settle. She seems to bond closely with some people and take a dislike to others. Fran will be back in Battersea from April 30th.

If you think you would like to take the Fran Test, please come in to Battersea to register or leave a message for Ros on 020 7627 9234 or email: [email protected].

Please note that there are many cats in the Home and in our satellite sites of all ages, shapes, sizes and personalities and we are only able to feature a small selection on the web.

Send to a friend