Tango (aka Minnie) is a beautiful girl who’s had a rough start to her life. She was very young when she was rescued, and it’s unlikely she had much chance to enjoy kittenhood and learn many of the basic skills that we normally associate with cats. To say she is an odd duck would be an understatement. (In fact, if we found out that she was raised by ducks, we wouldn’t be at all surprised! ok, just kidding… 🙂 )
Let’s start with the positives. Minnie is the lowest low-maintenance cat you will ever find! She is basically self-sufficient. She likes her routine of morning and evening feedings (she will even wait patiently until you get up in the morning before ‘reminding’ you to feed her, no matter how late you sleep in!), manages her food intake well, has never had an issue with the litter box, uses scratch posts, and requires no meds or special food (though she can be a picky eater). She likes to have a favourite place or three where she can “hide” and just chill during the day, and will often not come out until she can secure a patch of sun, which she loves to bake herself in, in the late afternoons. She shows little interest in going outside. One time she “escaped” onto our balcony, but came right back in when we called her… She also likes to play with very simple toys (e.g., strings and quiet balls).
Now for the odd duck stuff. Minnie does like to socialize with her humans, and doesn’t choose favourites, but it’s totally on her terms. This normally meek and mild kitty will loudly tell you when it’s time for attention! She is a bit particular about how she is handled (she gets freaked out when she sees hands coming towards her face) but she loves wriggling like a snake while enjoying your petting and it’s so worth it when you hear her loud purrs and chirps as she flops around and pushes her back and rear end snuggly against your hands/body.
In the evenings, Minnie is becoming more and more social. She can be bribed with treats and now spends a good amount of time just hanging out on one of her carefully located blankets, often while watching TV with her humans.
To be clear, Minnie is an acquired taste. She will need a mostly quiet environment and someone with a lot of patience and willingness to accept her for who she is, but over time she will continue to come out of her shell and be a super companion.
Worth noting: At one point, Minnie was co-fostered with an older female. While the older cat was a bit too aggressive for Minnie’s liking (she was like a really big kitten on steroids), they still managed to get along quite well (see photos below). So for someone who has a low-key kitten/cat that might like a similarly low-key buddy, Minnie should definitely be considered.
Please refer to CCAR ID# A22-007 when inquiring about Minnie/Tango.
