* Ezra found his forever home with lovely people! *

We rescued Zelda, Fitz, Hemingway, Elliot and Ezra from Hamilton Animal Services.
Zelda was found pregnant and dumped in a conservation area. She was brought to HAS, and on March 30th, she gave birth to three healthy babies! Shortly after, an orphaned kitten of similar age to Zelda’s kittens showed up at HAS. Staff  introduced this new kitten (Ezra) to Zelda, and she took the baby in like one of her own! So sweet!
The little family did wonderfully in their foster home. Zelda raised her babies like a champ, and she was adopted.  Sadly, little Elliot didn’t make it as he had severe health issues that weren’t treatable. Hemingway and Fitz were adopted together (yay!) and poor Ezra was diagnosed with a heart murmur, so he had to stay in foster care a bit longer so we could sort out with our vets exactly what he needed long term. After many tests and appointments, our vets have determined that Ezra does not currently show any outward signs of the heart defect and he is a healthy and happy kitty otherwise. Ultrasounds show that the murmur is currently not progressing. He will require yearly recheck ultrasounds to keep an eye on the issue. If it does begin to get worsen he may need to go on a daily heart medication, but luckily that medication is very inexpensive. About $30 for a 2 month supply.

Here’s a note from Ezra’s foster home:
“Ezra is a wonderfully sweet, shy, and wild little guy!
He was found orphaned and alone at less than a week old and brought into Hamilton Animal Services. Luckily they had a new mom with 3 nursing kittens and the family took him in as one of their own. The whole family came to us when the babies were only 11 days old so we’ve had Ezra since nearly the beginning of his life. Even from that young Ezra was a strikingly beautiful kitty!
Ezra was more shy with us than any of the other kittens. When his brothers were beginning to leave the nest and explore he preferred to stay snuggled up with his mom. As everyone got older his very playful side came out and he would tumble around the room with his brothers and chase toys all afternoon. But he was still very shy around people and would retreat back to the nest when someone tried to reach for him. Ezra’s mom, Zelda, was very nervous around people initially and I believe that Ezra took his cues from her. When Ezra’s family were all adopted he began to bond with our resident cats. This was the turning point for him. He began to become more comfortable with the house and with my husband and I. He would see our cats purring away getting love and ear scratches and he would start to slowly venture over for a scratch as well.
Ezra has been with us for 8 months now and he has become a new cat! As soon as I sit on the couch I know Ezra is going to be right up beside me pawing me and nibbling gently on my fingers for attention. He loves to sleep in the bed with us and will even crawl into my lap for pets when the mood strikes him. He’s still a little nervous about being picked up, but purrs away while I hold him and scratch his cheeks. Socializing Ezra with people is still a work in progress. Although he’s quite comfortable with me he will still run away if I reach for him too quickly or he’s not in the mood for affection.
Ezra is still nervous around strangers and will hide if there are multiple new people in the house. While I believe that this will improve with time, he may never be completely comfortable around new people. He prefers to give all his love to his own family!
Ezra loves other cats and takes his cues from his kitty friends. He would love a home with at least one other playful and confident cat. This will also help with his energy because Ezra LOVES to play! He can turn anything into a toy and uses our hall as a track to run up and down. He and our one year old kitty, Babs, run and play and chase each other all over. And at the end of a play session he loves to cuddle up with our 3 year old cat, Baxter, and get hugged and licked. He is extremely cat social and will be a great best friend for any kitty!
Ezra would be fine with a cat savvy calm dog. Initially he was very scared of our dogs, but as our dogs pay him very little attention he has learned to relax around them. While he won’t sleep beside them, he will paw at a tail as it glides by!
I believe Ezra would do best in a quieter home. A lot of commotion may cause him to retreat more. A calm home with calm people will help him come out of his shell much quicker.
Ezra is a beautiful and amazingly sweet boy with lots of personality. He loves to watch tv and paws at his reflection in the mirror. He enjoys the sound of his own voice and will meow loudly from across the house until I call his name to let him know I’m hearing him. (He does not do this at night or often enough that it is annoying or any issue.) He loves a Saturday nap with his people and will crawl under the blanket to lick unsuspecting toes. He may take a little longer to become comfortable with his new family, but he is so very worth it! His new family will need to be patient and know that although it may take time for him to love them, he will come around. Buying his love with wet food and catnip toys helps!”