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- Dear Eze
Dear Eze,
A few months ago I adopted a little flame point kitten that I found in a dumpster outside of work. I’ve named her Blue. It was a rough start for both of us; she was working through trust issues, and I’ve never had a pet before, but we’ve adjusted. Now that we’ve gotten to know each other, she’s the sweetest thing in the world and the best part of my life.
But I’m obviously writing you for a reason.
When I first found her, Blue had all the appropriate numbers of toes, tail, and teeth for her size, but lately things have. . . changed. She’s grown a second tail, for one. She’s also started trying to break into my cold food locker to get at anything I’ve left curing. I’ve always fed her wet food mixed with kibble, following the recommendation of a friend who runs a farm with plenty of barn cats, but the amount of raw meat Blue is after seems excessive.
Then there are the behavioral challenges. Blue has grown protective of me since we’ve bonded, which is very endearing coming from a creature barely the size of a pomelo. Her growling, hissing, and swiping at strangers she found suspicious was manageable, and something I figured we’d work on by slowly introducing her to new people and other animals as she grew. I’ve taken to meeting my friends at their places or out in the city instead of having them over to give Blue time to adjust, and bringing over someone she knows every few days so we can practice our people skills.
And then the spitting started. I don’t know what else to call it.
Blue has adjusted to one of my friends already, which I thought was great progress and a sign that I could experiment with having more people over more often, maybe two at a time. But when a friend Blue didn’t know showed up at my house last week for a little dinner I was hosting, Blue reacted poorly.
I still don’t know exactly what she did, but my friend’s physician said that what hit him was some kind of energetic force. His shoulder is pretty badly bruised. From the outside it looked like Blue just scrunched up and hissed at him, as she usually does when first meeting someone new. Then she made a sort of spitting motion, and suddenly my friend was thrown into my front door. Honestly, Blue looked just as surprised as the rest of us when it happened.
Blue is still doing okay with people she knows, but I’ve cut down on new people for the moment. I’d like to take her to a vet or someone who might be able to tell me how my six month kitten threw a grown man across my apartment, but I don’t want Blue to hurt anyone else on accident, and I worry that leaving the house plus a new person prodding at her is not the best idea.
Do you have any advice on how I can figure out what is going on with my kitten or how we should proceed?
Thanks!
-Growling in Gedira
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Dear Growling,
First of all, Blue sounds precious and adorable. Tell her hello from me!
Second, yeah, I wouldn’t try leaving the house with a cat that can psychically yeet people through the air and does it when she’s scared. That’s probably a later activity.
I’ll be entirely honest with you, I don’t think Blue is a cat. She sounds more like a species of psychic beast. There are a few variations, but the commonalities are usually: multiple tails and the ability to interact with the world through psychic force, and you’re two for two. Psychic beasts are also known for being deeply territorial and incredibly loyal to their “pack” or persons, and you’ve got that in your favor as well.
If I were you, I’d start with getting a more official diagnosis from someone who does this kind of thing for a living. Lucky you, you live in Gedira! A city known for it’s diverse population and businesses, I know of at least two medicus in your area who both specialize in magical creatures and make house calls.
M. Muckland works more often with working animals that live on farms and ranches surrounding the city, but quite a few of those are magical in nature so don’t let that stop you from reaching out. Then there is M. Aubrental. She works primarily in magical creature care and rescue, helping displaced creatures find appropriate homes that can support them appropriately. She’d be my first recommendation, largely because her specialization in trauma and support might be more helpful given Blue’s dumpster-origin and current temperament.
Outside of that it sounds like you’re doing exactly what you should be. You’ve clearly got a good idea of what it takes to help Blue feel secure, you’re easing her into socializing and doing what you need to do to keep her from hurting herself and others, all you need is a little expert support.
Keep doing what you’re doing, ask for help when you need it, and I think you and Blue will be just fine.
Best of luck!
-Eze C
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