We adopted Mr. Eno from Kitty Kind in May 2016. What can we say about Mr. Eno? We love him...
Our Murphy passed away leaving Henrietta all alone - Murphy our long-time resident who was someone's house cat left in a box on the street when I found her, and Henrietta the much younger habituated feral we took in from my sister, it had taken them some time but the two became quite endeared with each other, best of friends.
After six weeks of watching Henrietta all alone my partner and I knew she needed a companion. Before long we saw a friend post on Facebook about a cat in need, a sweet older cat whose foster parents were planning to return to their home in Mexico in less than a month, and who really wanted to avoid landing Mr. Eno back in a shelter cage, surrounded by other cats, where his worst would surely come out.
We went to meet Mr. Eno at his foster parents' apartment, he was just as much a gentleman as advertised, greeting us at the door and letting us pet him. Knowing he was in need and didn't have much time, we decided to take a chance on him getting along with Henrietta and brought him home.
The first two weeks were a nightmare! Upon his arrival, Mr. Eno was beyond distraught, and though we had Henrietta locked in the living room while Eno took the bedroom, her smell in the air was apparently enough to make him vicious. He hissed and clawed and bit when we tried to approach him, and he basically lived under our bed in anger and discomfort for several days. We became scared of him and anxious that we would have to find him a new home. During this time, naturally, Henrietta and Eno began to sniff at the door, stick their paws underneath it, and try to discover what lifeform existed on the other side. We switched them up after a few days, locking Henrietta in the bedroom while giving Eno a chance to explore the rest of the apartment.
Honestly, it took about a month just to calm Eno down, and even for another few weeks thereafter as he started to get to know and live with Henrietta, and vice-versa, he frequently went into attack mode. We had many sleepless nights, as Eno would chase Henrietta and bite her back at 2am, 3am, 5am. But we worked hard to condition them and create conditions where they could get along, we fed them near each other, progressively moving their bowls closer together, gave them treats together, and occasionally forced their separation. Every day was a test, but over time the two became accustomed to each other, they became friendly, they became family.
Now, six months later, and there is no doubt that bringing Mr. Eno into our lives and home was the best decision we could have made. He has matured into a total gentleman, he is kind, loving, patient, and above all, absolutely adorable. He and Henrietta are the friends we had hoped they would be. It wasn't easy and it didn't happen overnight, but ultimately, there is no greater success to be achieved.
We are so grateful to Kitty Kind ... this is not the first time I have introduced cats to each other, but it was the most challenging. Our work was made easier because of Kitty Kind's support and encouragement throughout this process, willingness to answer all our questions, and availability to address and assuage our concerns. I encourage everyone to support all the great work they do. read more