Harriet

My story

Harriet is a mature, aloof cat. She is small-bodied but very soft and fluffy in her (still patchy from clipping) dilute calico coat. If you are looking for a snuggle bunny, she is not the cat you are seeking. She is not a head-butter or ankle-rubber. She is slow to warm up to strangers but once you are accepted she loves being stroked (not patted, not skritched, but stroked, if you please!). When she decides you are allowed to pet her she is fine with having almost any part of her petted, even her belly. She prefers not to have her paws handled; she permits it if you insist but thinks it's quite rude. She likes to be in the same room with you but supervising from afar; she does not spend much time snuggled next to you unless you are brushing her (which she absolutely loves). When brushed she will flop over next to me and knead my leg and purr. She occasionally has something to say but not often. Harriet is very expressive with her ears and facial expression, but if you do not pick up on those cues she will not hesitate to gently close her teeth on your hand to tell you she objects to whatever you are doing. She has never drawn blood on me though I was told she did bite a vet student at the shelter on the day of her surgery (she was very stressed). Speaking of surgery, when Harriet arrived at CMHS she was using the litter box frequently and urinating blood. She was discovered to have a bladder stone which was surgically removed. Analysis of the stone indicates that Harriet will have to be kept on a specific diet (hydrolyzed protein such as Hill's Z/D which she thinks is quite yummy) and she may eventually develop additional stones. Since staying with me after her surgery she does visit the litter box more often than my other previous cats (probably normal for her) but has had no other concerning signs. She has been using a mini-pellet clumping litter but she is also fine with regular pellet litter. I tried her on grass seed litter which she was happy to use but her fur picked up a lot of it so it ended up all over the house. It would probably be a good idea to keep her on a clumping litter to monitor her urinary habits. She has had an open litter box at my house; she does not fling litter and barely covers her poop. I have not tried her with an enclosed litter box. She is not at all shy about using the litter box with a human around. She reportedly lived with another cat in the past though I have not exposed her to any others. She is wary of dogs; my tenant's dog loves to watch her through the deck window and she mostly ignores him but is always aware of his presence. Harriet would not be a good cat to have around children as children are generally not cognizant of cat body language and would likely annoy her; this could result in a bite. She needs to have a safe space she can go hide if necessary and closets seem to be preferred. She is terrified of vacuum cleaners and thunder, both making her dash for the closet. She loves to sit and look out a window but has not challenged the screens. She shows no inclination to bolt outside when a door is opened. I have not ever found her on the kitchen counter or fridge though she does like to jump onto beds and soft furniture. She will join me on the bed for a little while but does not spend the night with me. She has thought about getting on the table a couple of times when I was around, while I was sitting at the table and she wanted something, but after she was removed she did not try again. She will occasionally play with catnip toys and loves chasing the laser pointer. Once or twice a week she gets the five-minute zoomies. She is also a big fan of her hairball-prevention treats. Overall I find Harriet to be a lovely, calm and undemanding cat. I hope she can find a person who appreciates her slightly prickly personality!

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Harriet, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.