Ranchie Domestic Short Hair Seattle, WA

Hey there, this is Darlene, Executive Director of Good Cat Network. Our organization specializes in flying cats to shelters on the West Coast - nearly 1000 so far.

But we have a few cats in our care that need special adopters because they don't fit the requirements for our partners. One of those cats is named Ranchie.

I have been personally fostering Ranchie since September, 2023. Ranchie is the FIRST cat that we are attempting to adopt directly to someone special through Petfinder, and because of the length of time she's been with me, I really want to find the right person to ensure that she is appreciated and understood for the incredible kitty she is.

She was a friendly momma cat that came inside a former client's home in Wailea, Maui, Hawai'i, to feed her kittens. The rescuer was kind enough to feed Ranchie, and eventually find homes for her kittens. Unfortunately, during that time period Ranchie was attacked by an animal (dog? cat? mongoose?) and developed a terrible infection which lead to her having a blood infection and blood parasite. She was actually still feeding her kittens at the time (and they were HUGE - they realistically could have been weaned weeks prior) so with the injury and the nursing, she became super malnourished and lethargic as she struggled to beat the infection.

During the infection and recovery, she developed the fear of hands coming towards her due to bandages being changed and subcutaneous fluids and being scruffed for medicine. When the rescuer couldn't foster her any longer due to a travel, plus the Maui wildfires overwhelming everyone and every rescue on island, I decided to personally try to help her along and bring her to "flight ready" status. She has been living a comfortable, easy life fostered in my guest room and has improved by leaps and bounds in my care.

The trauma of her illness has led to some behavior abnormalities that cannot be described as starting her life as "feral." I have spent a lot of time with feral cats and kittens, and can assure you that her behavior is unique to the trauma experienced. For example, she may be fearful of hands, but does not hide when a stranger comes into the room. She will go right up to the person and sniff them. She is aggressive in that she will bite or swat at a hand coming at her or your ankles as you walk by, but by contrast, she jumps on your lap and nuzzles her head into your armpit. She is a complicated cat.

I used de-sensitization techniques like petting her with my hand and when she goes in for a bite, I quickly turn it into a cheek-rub. Initially I used treats to get her comfortable on my lap and gave her items to bite instead of my skin. She loves chewing on the vintage crochet blankets and she loves to "sculpt" cardboard amazon boxes. To encourage her oral fixation being directed toward objects instead of my hand, I will put the blanket on my lap and she can enjoy pets and then chew the blanket. She also loves hoodie strings!

Free Good Cat Network hoodie with adoption! She absolutely loves to snuggle against and chew the hoodie strings while on your lap.)

I have also given her CBD in her food and use a Feliway diffuser to help chill her out, and I believe that as the good experiences add up, the bad behavior will become a distant memory.

I have not wanted to fly her to our shelter partners due to the fact that she still has the risk of biting. Because of her history, I wouldn't suggest she goes into a home with children or other animals. She snuggles more than ANY OTHER CAT I have ever had! We spend every night watching TV in our guest space with her - she loves to play, she loves to be on our laps.

If I didn't have five cats sanctioned to other areas of my house, I would absolutely keep her forever. It is just not fair to my resident cats, or to Ranchie, that she cannot live with us in the main part of my home.

Ranchie would do best with someone who understands cat-behavior, or someone studying trauma and a big heart to allow some bites as Ranchie learns new routines, good experiences, and distances herself from her traumatic past. And someone who understands that it will take time to get used to a new home and that the snuggles might not be immediate. She might regress while she adjusts to a new home.

She needs someone who knows that with time and technique she really can blossom into a cat that can break her bad habits and in the meantime, show a lot of love!

She would do best in a home without small children or other animals due to her bite history.

Please feel free to write us if you have any questions or want to know more about this super special Maui cat :)

Ranchie is part of the Transport Destination program and part of her Adoption Fee will cover the cost of flying her from Maui to Seattle. Her adoption process will include Facetime/zoom sessions and interview to ensure it's a good fit.

Thanks for reading and lots of aloha to you for considering Ranchie!
Darlene