Shy, sweet-natured Itta lived peacefully in a charming two-story house on a quiet Philly street. By the time I sat down with her owner, the plump brown tabby had a new feline housemate called Cubbon, named for his ginger fur and a personality so big his doting owner could speak of little else. To his new owner he was cuddly, talkative, and delightfully playful. To Itta he was a brash interloper.
Perhaps Itta was past her best-by date for accepting another cat or she simply felt 2-year-old Cubbon was pushy. For certain, Itta’s timidity complicated matters. She was so fearful of outsiders, she raced into hiding every time she heard me at the door. Which was a lot. The owner maintained a demanding travel schedule booking two visits a day for her cats.
On my very first visit I entered the kitchen to find a puddle of water soaking the floorboards. Mischief or mishap? The enamelware water bowl could hold a quart of water which seemed pretty heavy wet work for a cat. Assuming the best, the floor was mopped and the bowl refilled. Finding no puddles on the second visit of the day, I was leaning heavily toward mishap. The next morning the almost empty bowl was surrounded by water. The floor was mopped, the water bowl was refilled and carried upstairs to the bathtub. It became a permanent feline watering hole.
Most of the time Itta would remain hidden when I was present making it impossible to judge how well she and Cubbon were getting along on their own. Months into the relationship, the owner witnessed Cubbon ambushing Itta, causing much feline and human upset. Did Cubbon bully Itta because she was a scaredy-cat? The cats would not say and Cubbon was such a charmer, his transgressions were quickly forgiven.
Two years later, the owner called to share happy news: She had adopted a pair of young male siblings named Alexei and Dmitri. I wasn’t there for the introductions but in no time Cubbon and his new playmates were in the bathtub flipping water bowls.
OY!
After the young brothers arrived, Itta spent much of her day under the owner’s bed. Going to the bathroom for a drink, to the kitchen for a meal, or to the litter boxes in the basement became opportunities for Cubbon, Alexei, and Dimitri to stalk and chase Itta. What’s a scaredy-cat to do? She began peeing on her owner’s bed.
Over the next nine months several adjustments were made in response to festering feline anxiety. The first was an absorbent bed covering to capture the urine. Interestingly, when human interaction was limited to a pet sitter visiting for 30 minutes at fixed intervals, Itta would suspend peeing on the bed. The why remains a mystery.
The next change was leaving extra bowls of food and water under the owner’s bed. Predictably the boys helped themselves to the food and flipped the water bowl. A tray was added to capture spills. Sometimes it worked. When a new litter box appeared in the bedroom, it quickly became communal. Unfortunately, supporting Itta by delivering her needs to the bedroom attracted the attention of three cats and a pet sitter she genuinely wanted to avoid.
By September piddle pads had spread beyond the bedroom to protect soft furnishings including kitchen chair cushions. Itta’s home had become way too small for a shy cat that simply wanted to be left alone.
When compassion fatigue becomes overwhelming, it’s time for a pet sitter to walk away. I wish I had a photo of Itta. Regrettably, she moved so fast my mental images are blurry at best.