ABOUT IVY
Ivy is a 3-year-old Bengal mix who we rescued from an overcrowding situation. We normally don't bring mixes into the program but our hearts just melted when we saw video of her and could see how much Bengal she has in her. One of our rescue partners in Southern CA reached out to us desperately, because they had over 18 cats from this one case and felt that she belonged with a rescue who would have the patience and understanding to help her learn to 'cat.' Normally when a cat arrives at Bengal Rescue, it is a cat who has been through a lot. For that reason, we are extremely selective about our adopters and fosters. We don't want the cat to fail, and we always want to set them up for success. This is the reason why so many of our bios say 'Bengal experience required.' In the case of Ivy - she has just enough Domestic in her - that she has been able to show us that she CAN go to a home that doesn't have Bengal experience. What we are looking for, in terms of her new family, is a family that has cat experience - especially shy cats. Let's tell you all about her. Ivy is a SWEETHEART. She is playful, loving, active, and has the *cutest* little trill in her voice - she chirps - she squeaks! Adorable. She is not loud or demanding. Ivy is currently in quiet foster home where she has a room all to herself. She has big beautiful windows to gaze out of, and some lovely sisal-wrapped climbing shelves on the wall. When she arrived she was quite shell shocked. It took weeks for her to even allow her foster to see her - she would run under the bed when the foster came into the room. We told Ivy's foster to be patient - and she promised she would be. She held true to that promise! Slowly over time, Ivy got used to her foster's smell, voice, and company. Her foster Mom would quietly hang out in the room with Ivy, speaking to her with a sweet yet quiet tone. As time went by, Ivy learned to trust. Soon she would allow her foster to watch her playing. She would roll around on the bed seductively, begging for love - but not quite ready to be touched. Her foster Mom LOVES her. She has been with this foster since early May. Her foster would keep her in a HEARTBEAT if it was not for the fact that the resident cat has 'only-child syndrome' and does NOT wish for any other furry companions in the home. Ivy's foster has spent so much time helping her rehabilitate, after having lived in a crowded and chaotic home where there were too many cats and too few resources. At her foster home, Ivy gets 'sleepovers' with her foster Mom, and listens to soothing music and gazes out the window until she's ready for a nap. Once her batteries are re-charged, she will furiously play with her catnip-infused cardboard scratcher and other toys. Ivy LOVES playing with toys sprayed with catnip. Her foster plays with her with a wand toy with nothing but a ribbon attached, and she loves that! Ivy also likes an enclosed track with a ball which lights up red when pushed around the track. Three times now Ivy has figured out how to disassemble one part of the toy to get the ball out! She is smart! In terms of diet - Ivy does need coaxing. We know the home she came from fed her only Kirkland dry food. Her foster tells us that she tried numerous types of wet food, and she hasn't liked any. She's happily eating Hill's Science Diet indoor adult 1-6 years, as well as Royal Canin Hairball formula mixed in with it (it's summer so'| it's hairball season!). Ivy does love treats! She's been enjoying Churu and Greenies. The home we are looking for for her, would need to be on the quieter side, given the chaos she came out of. She would do very well with a cat-friendly cat. Her foster says 'Several times I've caught her standing at the bedroom door, chirping and warbling at my resident cat. It's clear Ivy wants a feline friend. Unfortunately, my resident cat does not want other cats around.' Given the circumstances that she came from, we don't believe children would be good for her. She hasn't been around dogs either. Ivy has *purrfect* litter box skills. She has been completely vetted. She is spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and tested negative for FeLV / FIV.