OHS Behavior Team works with a cat from a hoarding situation and helps her prepare for home life.
Schumer came to OHS from a hoarding case. When she arrived, she was very scared and spent her time hiding in the back of her kennel. If the staff tried to interact with her, she would lunge and hiss – or try to dart away. Typically, animals from hoarding situations rarely have human contact and don’t know how to be a member of someone’s family.
Our behavior team was quickly alerted and asked to intervene. Behavior experts moved Schumer to a calm, quiet room and started to teach her how to trust people. By using treats and toys, they began to help Schumer learn how to relax and enjoy “normal” things like chin scratches. First, they would pet her using a long back scratcher and once she learned that it wasn’t scary, they were able to pet her with their hand. After weeks of working with the behavior team, Schumer finally came out of her shell. One of her favorite things to do was watch videos of birds! She gradually started playing with toys and spending time with other cats.
Even though she blossomed at OHS, we knew she would need to find a patient home with someone who could give her the time she needed to settle in. She found the perfect home and is now living with two other cats. Her adopters write, “She is so brave! We absolutely love her, she completes our family and we look forward to what a couple months and years will do to bring her more and more out of her shell.”
