He was among the faces of the BC SPCA’s evacuation from Fort St. John. PJ was a small, black, and white kitten who remained in the BC SPCA’s care when the order boiled down to leave the location since of an unchecked wildfire. In overall, staff and volunteers worked rapidly to leave 21 animals to the BC SPCA’s South Peace place.
“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,” says Candace Buchamer, supervisor of the BC SPCA’s Fort St. John animal centre.
PJ’s brand-new daddy Leigh, very first saw PJ on the BC SPCA’s adoption page when he remained in Quesnel. “Everyone in our house is obsessed with cats. We have two and we wanted to add another to our family. 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 went to fulfill PJ and he was sweet, caring, and docile. It was a match! “But when we got PJ home, he wasn’t as gentle as he had been when we first met him,” says 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.” After a conversation with staff at the Abbotsford animal centre and appeals from the kids who had actually fallen for PJ, Leigh chose to await a couple of more days to see if PJ would settle after more time getting utilized to his brand-new home and family.
“This kitten had been surrendered to the BC SPCA’s care when he was very young,” says Kim Monteith, BC SPCA’s supervisor, animal well-being. “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 includes that when you bring a brand-new kitten or family pet into your home remember it’s familiar to you and all brand-new to them. Help them change by providing time to discover you, your home and the other animals that might live there. Set up a regular so they learn quicker, provide play sessions specifically with brand-new kittens. This will help them adjust to their brand-new home.
“Remember their behaviour will tell you a lot about how they’re feeling and what they might need,” says Monteith.
And all PJ required was a little bit more time. “He still plays like a kitten, but his sweet side came out,” says 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.” PJ likewise likes lap time and snuggling. “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.” Leigh includes that PJ has the loudest purr. “It is super crackly and snappy.”
PJ likewise likes to lay on his back in the criminal of Leigh’s arm, much like an infant. “He relaxes when he is on his back and goes super floppy.” Leigh includes that the rocky start has actually become an excellent adoption story. “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.”
