Mirren

Mirren came to us as a watchful and protective mother to her recent litter of kittens. She is a beautiful cat, with a flame of orange on her forehead and long, silky hair. And now that her wild and playful kittens are out of the house, she is also actually quite neat, with excellent litter box manners. It is possible that she had been set out in a semi-rural area. She looked surprisingly good for a stray cat. Eventually, she seems to have lived as a community cat, and neighbors tried to help her by adopting out some of her older kittens. Mirren, however, would spontaneously vanish, only to reappear with a new family. But now her most recent kittens are up for adoption (last 2 are Leodes and Tyro), and she is transitioning to a world that is very new to her, a world of living inside and building connections with humans. I can see that she misses her kittens and wants out of the foster room, but I also see that she's a little less vigilant and a little more relaxed, although still very cautious when a phone camera is pointed at her, when people stand up to their full height, or when unfamiliar objects are brought into the room.Initially, her friendliness - swift little side swipes before regaining her distance - seemed almost a form of appeasement, like she needed to confirm that I was safe. But now there are the beginnings of a more genuine friendship (the truth is that it's happening in me as well as her). She's lonely, and she's happy when I visit. It really helps to get down to her level, to sit with her and talk to her and gently rub her ears. And - bring some Greenies! She is particular with food, but she loves Greenies. She is slowly coming out of her shell and learning that humans are able to be trusted and provide love. She will take a patient adopter willing to let her come out of her shell on her own time. A quiet home with no small children or noisy dogs will be important too. We do not know her experience with dogs or other cats athough there were other cats where she lived outside.Meet Mirren at our weekly cat adoption event at PetSmart, Bleachery Blvd, from 12-4pm on Saturday or apply to adopt to schedule a meet and greet another time...perhaps in her foster home where she is now most comfortable. All cats are spayed/neutered, current on age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, FELV/FIV tested, given multiiple rounds of dewormer and started on monthly flea preventative.