Meet Gracie.

DOB: January 1, 2008
Sex: Female
Breed: Domestic Short-hair
Color: Grey
Good with cats: Unknown
Good with dogs: Unknown
Good with kids: Unknown
Location: Saskatoon

Gracie was taken from a home with 13 cats, but these cats weren't being taken care of, they were neglected, not being fed, so when Gracie arrived at SOS Prairie Rescue she had trauma she needed to overcome. She spent the first week at her foster home in the back corner of her hiding spot, like a petrified statue seeking safety behind her blanket. You could poke your head in there, start to pet her, and she'd purr, cause it felt good, but it wasn't a feeling she was used to, so her body tensed up as she was pet. After about a week, she started to trust her foster a bit more, and when they'd poke their head in to pet her, her body lost its stiffness, and she'd sprawl her legs out so she could get her belly rubbed, and loosen her neck so she could get the top of her head scratched, and there was a bit more joy in her purr.

After a while she started to explore outside her hiding spot. You gotta be patient with cats who have trauma and give them the space they need to feel comfortable and confident in their surroundings, and as time goes by their true personalities start to unfold. Gracie is a huge sweetheart who's learning what its like to be loved by a person. Her foster leaves food closer and closer so that Gracie can look at both her food bowl and the human who takes care of her and think to herself, “well, there's my food, I want to eat it, and there's that human, and I like it when they pet me, but I get scared and hide when they stand up... I'm nervous walking up to them... but when I hop up on their bed to eat my food, nothing bad happens, so maybe humans are okay.”

Her foster got her a nice comfy pillow and now she's napping out in the open and exploring around the house far away from her hiding spot. Gracie's learning to trust people, she just needs a good person to teach her how to accept being loved and cherished.

Update: Gracie is doing a lot better. She's very affectionate. When you walk in the room she'll have a skip in her step as she makes her way to you so you can pet her head, than she'll roll onto the ground so you can rub her belly. When you're sitting on the couch she'll hop up onto your lap so she can get some love. She just has a good energy when you spend time with her.

She's become friends with another foster, Yarbo. When they're close to each other Yarbo likes to gently rub his head against Gracie's head. He'll wait patiently for Gracie to finish her supper than he'll lick the plate clean as she walks away. When they're chilling out on top of the couch they love it when their foster wraps his arms around both of them and pets them for the next ten minutes.

It's heartwarming knowing Gracie feels safe and comfortable. She's an old gal with some health issues, but if you have a space in your home for a cat with a lot of love to give, Gracie would love to be adopted by you.