FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A little black and white kitten has actually discovered his permanently home after being left from the North Peace SPCA due to the Stoddart Creek wildfire in May.
According to the SPCA, staff and volunteers moved 21 animals to the BC SPCA’s South Peace area and other places throughout the province as soon as an evacuation alert was released for Fort St. John on May 15th.
“After the evacuation, due to the unpredictable nature of the fire situation in this area, we had all the animals in our care transferred to other animal centres throughout the province,” said Candace Buchamer, supervisor of the North Peace SPCA.
PJ’s brand-new papa, Leigh, very first saw the kitten on the adoption page when the kitten remained in Quesnel.
“Everyone in our house is obsessed with cats. We have two, and we wanted to add another to our family,” Leigh said.
“We were ready to drive up to Quesnel to get him, but then we found out he was being transferred to Abbotsford, and they forwarded our application to the Abbotsford animal centre.”
The family fulfilled PJ, who was at first sweet, caring and docile.
“But when we got PJ home, he wasn’t as gentle as he had been when we first met him,” said Leigh.
“We weren’t sure if he was frightened or just overwhelmed, but his play was quite rough with the kids. He was biting and scratching them. We really didn’t want to take him back to the animal centre, but we were concerned about his behaviour.”
He spoke to staff at the Abbotsford animal centre, and with appeals from his kids who had actually already fallen for the kitten, Leigh chose to wait a couple of more days to see if PJ would calm down after adapting to his brand-new environment.
“This kitten had been surrendered to the BC SPCA’s care when he was very young,” said the BC SPCA animal well-being supervisor Kim Monteith.
“Kittens learn about biting and scratching through play with littermates and, of course, mom. When they’ve been removed from littermates and mom too early, they are still learning when they play. If we play with them using our hands and encourage that type of play, it will continue.”
Monteith said when bringing a brand-new animal into the home, it’s important to bear in mind whatever recognizes to the owner however brand name brand-new to the animal.
To help them change, owners can provide the brand-new animal time to adjust and find out about its brand-new environment, consisting of establishing a regular and play sessions.
“Remember, their behaviour will tell you a lot about how they’re feeling and what they might need,” said Monteith.
According to the BC SPCA, PJ simply required more time.
“He still plays like a kitten, but his sweet side came out,” said Leigh.
“I have never seen a cat that wants to play that much. The kids could play with him all day, every day, and it wouldn’t be enough.”
The kitten likewise enjoys remaining in his owners’ laps and cuddling.
“If I am just sitting on the couch, PJ will jump on my lap and run his face on my hands, trying to get me to rub under his chin,” said Leigh.
According to PJ’s brand-new owners, the kitten purrs loudly and sounds “super crackly and snappy.”
“He is such a sweet cat. We just had to give him time to find his way. He has been through so much already in his young life,” Leigh said.
