BELLE

Thank you for your inquiry about Belle, whose name was changed to Maisie.  I chose that name because one of my favorite bestselling book series is the Maisie Dobbs series written by Jacqueline Winspear.  Maisie Dobbs is a very strong, independent and resilient character, so, I felt that changing Belle’s name to Maisie was appropriate since she had been at the shelter for so long.

Maisie is doing well.  She settled in very quickly, as if she has always  lived in my house.  I have a lot of windows, a picture window in my living room and a picture window in my dining room, each with a place where she can sit and look out the window.  I have discovered that she loves to sit in an open window, when I raise one of my smaller windows for some fresh air.  She comes running and will sit in the open window, for awhile, even if it is cold.  She immediately began using the litterbox, without any problems, found the food and water stations and began eating and drinking without any problems.

She is a very affectionate and very focal.  The most endearing thing that she does is rub her nose on my nose and she is “talking” all of the time.  I say something to her and she replies with a trilling sound.  She does not meow but, has this little squeaking sound that she makes along with the trilling sound.  They are very unusual sounds, so, it is hard to explain what she sounds like, but, I love it!!!  I have had two other cats and neither of them made these sounds, so, the vocalizations are adding to the joy of having her in my life.

I am physically disabled from Polio and because of worsening Post-Polio problems, I now must use crutches and a wheelchair.  When I first called the shelter, in February, I talked to Brandy and explained  my situation.  I told her  that I needed an only cat who is low key and would not be afraid of the crutches and wheelchair and be hiding all of the time.  She told me that she had one cat in mind, Belle, and that the shelter has a chair with rollers.  Brandy said that she would test Belle/Maisie around the chair and then let me know how she did.  Brandy reported that Maisie was not bothered by the chair and offered to condition Maisie around the chair, daily, until my appointment to meet her, February 20.  That day, Brandy took to me to the cat room, where I sat down in the chair and she let Maisie out of her pen.  Maisie walked around for a few minutes, then I gave her a treat and then she hopped up into my lap and rubbed her nose on my nose.  T That was my message, from the Universe, she was the right cat for me.

I cannot say enough good things about the staff at the shelter.  They did not have to tell me about the chair, with rollers and to offer to condition Maisie to the chair, which I feel in one of the major reasons that she has settled in so quickly.  She is not at all bothered by my crutches and wheelchair.  When I am sitting in my wheelchair, she will hop up into my lap, rub noses and then sit and snuggle into my arms.  She will even sit on my lap when I start moving my wheelchair.  So. the staff chose the perfect cat for me.

You mentioned that you were involved in Maisie’s rescue.  I was told that she was brought to the shelter as a stray, so, if she was rescued from a situation, I would like to know the details.  I would appreciate learning more about her life before coming to the shelter.