Minnie Finally Learns to Enjoy Cuddles - Our Latest #Pawsitivepic

#Pawsitivepic number 2!

This pretty girl is eight-year-old Minnie, and she struggles a little when it comes to socialising with humans - but then again, who doesn't?

She came into the care of the charity after her behaviour towards her family became erratic and defensive, something we've since realised seems to be the result of anxiety, over-stimulation, and fear.

Our hope for Minnie was that we could find her one of those rare, understanding adoptive homes, willing to accept that she is a little socially challenged, and happy to have a relatively hands-off relationship with her in an adult-only space, until such time that she felt secure and comfortable enough for her behaviour to change. We still have our fingers crossed for this one.

Our other hope was that our volunteers could work with Minnie to help her overcome some of her reactive behaviour. For a few weeks, progress on this front lagged, until our Head of Welfare, who has considerable experience in cat behaviour, began to work directly with her.

The subsequent change seems to have occurred overnight: Minnie is calmer, friendlier, and happier in herself. She recently left a regular volunteer stunned after climbing onto her lap and kneading, something that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago - see the second pic for this happy (and surprising!) moment.

Minnie will still need an experienced and understanding home, but this shows that she has the capacity to conquer her anxiety, and one day become the relaxed, friendly cat that she once was. We're all rooting for her here at CatCuddles - everyone deserves a place to call home, no matter how grumpy.

Enquire about adopting Minnie at https://www.catcuddles.org.uk/adopt-cats.