Rescue Stories: Popoki - From Shelter Cat to Queen of her Catio

Hello and Happy Friday! I'm back with another great tail tale in our Rescue Stories series. Today's story is about one of our blogging friends, Popoki, from Welcome To The Menagerie.  Popoki's mom, Jean, took Popoki home to foster her, and the rest is history. Read on to see how Jean fell in love with Popoki and how she became a member of the family. 
Lola

I'll never forget the first time I clapped eyes on Popoki. I was volunteering in my local animal shelter, as I had done every week, and I peered into a kennel to find this absolutely gorgeous cat trying desperately to hide behind her litter box. She was overwhelmed by the sights, smells and sounds of the shelter, and the staffers told me she had been too worried to eat very much. In addition, she'd picked up a bit of a cold in the shelter, so she was sneezing and her eyes looked just terrible. 

Shy cats like Popoki often don't succeed in shelter situations, and the team was looking for purebred exotic shorthair rescues that could help. But those rescues (more than likely) wouldn't want to take in a cat with the sniffles. Popoki needed to heal up before she could go to a rescue situation. So I took her home with me to foster her. 

I didn't know anything about Popoki's history when I got her here, but I thought she'd need coaxing. I wasn't wrong. She hid from me every single time I walked into her room to feed her, groom her or give her medications. She was always very happy to see my dogs, but she was rarely happy to see me. But I was patient, and we worked together. Little by little, she started to trust me. And little by little, I realized that she was MY cat. 

I've had her for about a year now. I work from home, and Popoki's room is my writing studio. She "helps" me with my work on a regular basis, and she ensures that I take breaks so I can pet her. 

My husband built a catio on the front of my writing studio, so Popoki can watch her beloved birds, and in the evenings, she sits on the deck with the family while wearing her leash. I like to think she has a good life. I know she has a better life than she once had.

Popoki has some scars from her year of life with her first family. They declawed her, and her lack of defenses makes her terrified of my other cats. Much as I try to introduce her, she cannot overcome her fear. She also remains terrified of all people she doesn't know well, including guests to my home. And fast movements make her quake and flee. She is a nervous and shy little thing. But she has my whole heart, and I can't imagine life without her. 

Jean Dion

Popoki is often featured on my blog: Welcome to the Menagerie. And she's also on Instagram! We'd love visitors to stop by and show her some love.

Photos courtesy of Jean Dion.