Sadly though, her forever friend passed away and she ended up at animal control became another casualty of being labelled ‘stray’. The fantastic news is though, that the every wonderful Ladybirds are always doing what they can to rescue the unwanted, abandoned, discarded, rejected, sad, lonely, and grieving animals that end up at animal control through no fault of their own, which is Cleo’s case.

Before even arriving at her foster home, Ladybird Lisa (I think I will call her this from now on because it almost sounds superhero..ish :o) texted from the vet to say what a total love bug she was. Upon arriving at her foster home (which is me) Cleo uneasily settled into her new surroundings. Of course her environment was much better than a steel prison cage but it wasn’t home and for the first little while she wandered her perimeter meowing and whining which I can only describe as sounds of sorrow, searching and longing for her lost companion. It was hard to witness, as are many things in rescue, an animal grieving and confused, trying to sort out ‘why’.

As Ladybird foster parents (privileged to volunteer with such an amazing group of people) we are all animal advocates and lovers and understand and recognize that each living breathing animal is a unique soul and by doing so we are able to work on their schedule instead to human demands. Taking cues from Cleo, I let her hide away in a corner, covered by a cardboard box and spent time gently speaking to her while going about the business of feeding her, changing the litter, and other things. She seemed interested in a blue feather boa cat wand so I used this to cox her out, we had a brief session of chin rubs and when she had enough, she returned to her corner.

Well being a highly intelligent being :o) it didn’t take her long before she knew that when I came in and waved the cat wand, it was time (if she was interested) in pets and cuddles. And again, when she had enough, she chose to curl back in her corner for a nap. Nothing was ever forced it took less than a week for the wand to become obsolete (as a tool for prompting cuddles at least) and soon she was coming out on her own accord as she trusted me and my 12 year old son. Truth be told, she took to my son right away, so much so that I jokingly referred to him as Riley ‘tuna fingers’.

Cleo has been with us 2 weeks now and I can honestly say that she, literally, is the purrrrr…fect feline companion and has already held that role already so she will have little trouble fulfilling her part as your new bestest furry friend.

She is one sleek feline. She is so plush and her fur is so soft. She is a petite and compact little lass but stocky as well with big paws. She has those big beautiful gold eyes that would give the big bad wolf a run for his money…my what big eyes you have Mr. Wolf :o) and when she is afraid (like the photo of her in the carrier at animal control) her pupils almost fill her entire eye turning them black. She is not one for being picked up. She will allow you to do so but doesn’t seemed thrilled at the prospect. She endured a photo shoot and manhandling (well woman handling actually) with just a few groans to let me know she wasn’t delighted but she endured without any aggression or scratching. She of course loves hands on her petting, giving belly rubs, and feline massages. She will climb up on a lap or chest but it takes a little time for her to settle in but this will come in time once she trusts you.

I think she would do best in a home with adults or a family with older children who are true animal lovers, no one too grabby. She is a goddess and deserves to be treated as such. She eats like a bird, literally. Goodness gracious, compared to my resident fat cats she is a sparrow. And her maintenance, well, almost non existent…again her litter output is like that of an 8 week old kitten. Her upkeep is nothing really. Just love her, feed and water her and she is good to go. She does enjoy the company of her humans though, and doesn’t like to be left alone for extended periods of time.