Meet Riley!

Handsome Riley has come to live at the sanctuary after spending 5 months in a shelter. He is a poor candidate for a barn home because he is an completely domesticated kitty who likely lived a strictly indoor life for his first nine years of life. Riley is a special needs kitty in that he becomes highly charged and gets over exuberant with any social exchanges and with other cats. He will hiss, growl, swat and possibly bite if people do not respect his limits and allow him to control the touching. He will not allow his nails to be trimmed and his veterinary exam (which I was not involved in) had to be undertaken while he was sedated. Sadly, his dominant attitude has not made him any feline friends. 

Riley is physically healthy, has no special diet requirements and is very affectionate in his own way. Even though the mission of Flower Feline Sanctuary is not to rehome cats, I would love to place him in a "real" home if the right person or family appeared. He would need to be an only pet, not be allowed to freely roam outside, and not be around kids or anyone who cannot accurately read his behavior and appreciate his extreme sensitivity. Most people who understand cats to this extent already have multiple cats or a cat who needs to be an "only," so finding this fantasy home is probably like winning the lottery. But I am positing the possibility to the universe because truthfully, he creates some tension for the other cats. Riley can act like a jerk but he is also lovable and adorable. One person has speculated that Riley was probably raised as an only kitten and didn't develop proper feline social skills. He may have been abused or treated roughly. All we really know is that his guardian shrugged off responsibility and deposited him at a shelter, which fortunately is a no-kill facility. Every cat has a history we cannot know; all we can give them is some autonomy to be who they are (while being safe) while providing comfort and reassurance that we will always be there for them.