The kitten at the Jelly’s Place animal shelter in San Pablo, California, was definitely not the most adoptable. She would curl up into a corner and hiss when people passed by or came close to the kitten’s cage.
The kitten had little chance of finding a home because it was found as a stray.
The employees of the shelter made a call to one of their skilled “feral kitten whisperers,” Kendal Benken. Benken told The Dodo, “They said, “You should come here and have a look at this strange animal.”
Benken knows a thing or two about taming even the most undomesticated kittens. She and her crew of rescue dogs and cats can make even the most distressed animals feel like a part of the family.
She rushed to the shelter and observed the kitten. Within minutes Benken decided the 5-week-old Siamese wasn’t frightening, but was likely frightened.
“No one could touch her. She was very angry,” Benken said. “She was a little, tiny demon. It was a fear reaction. She probably had never been handled. She acted so aggressively. She was hissing. She was adorable, though.”
The unhappy kitty could only be carried by being gently covered in a towel and wrapped. The kitten was gently wrapped and placed in a container before being driven home by Benken.
The kitty wasn’t happy with this arrangement, and she was still angry when she got to Benken’s house. Benken gave her the name Betty because she simply knew she’d win her over. “She had those enormous, lovely blue eyes like [Bette] Davis. To me, she resembled a Betty,” said Benken.
Benken unwrapped Betty and made her a home in the middle of the kitchen. “I put her in a big dog crate with food, water and a litter box. She could not run and hide,” Benken said. “With feral kittens, the best thing you can do is force them out of their comfort zone and put them in a busy part of your house.”
Soon, the animals from Benken’s rescue family arrived to see Betty. The difficult new foster family member captivated the dogs quite a bit. They were much more impressed by Betty as a result of her attitude.
Truvy possesses a unique talent. She is drawn to the rescues. She probably considers herself to be a mom cat. Betty had Truvy completely enthralled, according to Benken.
Betty grew more used to her new pack every day. Betty concluded the Benken family wasn’t all that horrible after roughly two weeks. She was no longer in need of being swaddled. She enjoyed being touched and hugged. Then, a turning point occurred when Betty introduced Truvy as a friend.
“Betty just crawled onto Truvy, made herself comfortable, and wouldn’t move. Truvy was afraid to move because she knew Betty was on her. It was the sweetest thing,” Benken said. “Truvy was delighted Betty finally returned her affection.”
Benken experienced a bittersweet situation. Though she had come to adore Betty, she was aware that her role as a foster mother was complete. The once-scaredy, hissing kitten had grown into a loving, sociable family member and was now available for adoption.
Benken was very careful about who would adopt Betty because she was her foster mother. But Roz Westil couldn’t have been happier when Benken spoke with her.
“After talking to Roz, I ‘m sure that she was the best choice for Betty. She’s really a wonderful kitty, and I wanted her to go to someone who would take such good care of her, said Benken.
And Westil claimed that she felt Betty was the ideal choice for her the moment she spoke with Benken. According to Westil, “It was serendipity.”
Betty is doing so well that Westil adopted another rescue cat named Amber. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but the two have grown to be their own cat pack.
