Scurvy was a feral cat that was living in Catarina’s neighbourhood. He’d been hanging around for a couple of years, many of the townspeople had tried but nobody had managed to catch him.
His name came about because Catarina thought he was scurvy-looking! She regularly fed him but when the cold weather started to set in she knew she had to do something to get this kitty out of the freezing conditions that were quickly approaching.
So each time Katarina put food out for him she would inch it closer and closer to her garage which was heated. Eventually he was eating his food inside and one day she just slammed the door shut. That was it, Scurvy was inside and safe from the cold.
To start with, Scurvy was really unhappy with the situation to the point when Catarina thought he would attack her. But she began to move the food closer and closer till eventually he was eating right next to her.
She wasn’t able to touch him but he was definitely getting used to her presence. And that’s when she noticed that his breathing was laboured.
She managed to get a vet to come to her house and Scurvy was neutered and vaccinated. But then a few days later she had a call from the vet telling her that Scurvy had feline leukaemia. This meant that he would never be allowed inside her house as she had other cats and it’s very contagious.
By this time Catarina had completely fallen in love with this ginger kitty so she came up with a great idea – she created a special room especially for him.
She knew that she would never be able to give Scurvy a cuddle, he just wasn’t that kind of kitty, but after he got used to his new surroundings something changed.
At first he would just rub against her leg quickly and run away but then his demeanour began to change and one day he climbed up upon her lap and allowed her to pet him.
Since then their relationship has come on in leaps and bounds and he has become a friendly purr machine that gives plenty of cuddles and head-boops.
My heart filled with joy when I saw that all the hard work Catarina done had finally paid off and this once feral cat has a life full of love and happiness.
Watch the video to see his progress:
