When Tyrion Met Buddy
All Black boy Tyrion is a feral kitten, one of many we have encountered at the CatCuddles Sanctuary this kitten season.
Cats become feral when they have had little to no contact with people from an early age, as is the case with young Tyrion, who was born to a feral mother, part of a large feral colony in Shooters Hill. As a result he is understandably very scared of our volunteers and bewildered by their attempts to show him affection.
Though it's rarely possible to fully domesticate adult feral cats, it is possible to rehabilitate feral kittens, if rescued at a young enough age. This is a long and difficult process however, one that poses a constant challenge to the CatCuddles volunteer team; nevertheless we're persevering with Tyrion in order to give him the best shot at a long, cared for, happy life.
As part of this process, this afternoon flighty, panicked Tyrion was introduced to a new friend; black and white boy Buddy. Buddy is a typical mischievous, outgoing, playful kitten, purring the moment he is touched and nibbling on our volunteers' ears. He was sadly purchased from a pet shop, and surrendered to CatCuddles when the buyer developed an allergy four days later.
He has, in recent days, seemed a little lonely, which is why we always suggest homing kittens as pairs at CatCuddles. The plan to introduce him to Tyrion was devised both to offer each kitten some extra companionship, and also so that Tyrion could observe his new friend's vastly different attitude to human interaction. We're hoping that being around sociable, laid-back Buddy might influence Tyrion, that he might see Buddy happily being cuddled and fussed over and realise that humans are not such a threat.
The meeting went very well, with Buddy examining a very worried, confused Tyrion from head to toe; smelling inside his ears and other less appropriate places! As is customary among kittens, Buddy then proceeded to sit ontop of a baffled Tyrion and bop him on his head, repeatedly. We hope this is the beginning of a beautiful new friendship.