Bea is an 11 yr old Sphynx cat. She used to be the only cat of her female human, but she got married, had kids, got 2 more cats and a dog. Poor Bea didn’t get along with all these creatures. So when she was brought to my vet to be euthanized due to litter box problems, she contacted me. She knew I’d taken Gracie in at age 16 and Gracie died a month ago. I agreed to come meet Bea and to foster her and see how things go.
I went to meet Bea today and spent an hour with her. As soon as the cage was opened she came out and sat in my lap. She marked me all up with her cheeks, declaring me her territory. She didn’t like the cat 2 cages down when she caught a glimpse of him and starting making those cat noises they do before hissing. So I moved so she wouldn’t see him and she was fine. I gave her Reiki while she sat in my lap and she seemed OK with that, no real reaction, but she was distracted with looking around and wanting to explore the area.
Sphynx cats don’t have fur. They do have a barely noticeable fuzz on their body and she has what is like peach fuzz on her face and base of her ears. Yes, she does look sort of like a skinny chicken ready for the oven when you look on her from above. She really grew on me with her settling into my lap and her almost expectation of head, cheek and chin rubs. By her coloring, if she had fur, she’d be a Calico. Calicoes are like Tortoiseshell cats, who are known for their ‘tortitude’ – they expect to be the queen of the house. Time will tell if Bea has this trait.
She is in good health except for an infection for which she is on antibiotics, and I’ll bring her home tomorrow. I’m making my shopping list. Since she is a Sphynx, there are extra items besides food and litter on it. I need pet shampoo, ear cleaner and pet wipes. Without fur, their oil accumulates on their skin and in their ears, and they need a weekly bath and ear cleaning.
I’ll post updates on how we settle in together.