New Video: Meet Monty!
Monty came to us with a bad tail injury that required surgical amputation—but as you can see in the video, it didn't dampen his playful, loving spirit. Want to adopt Monty? Please call the Animal Placement department at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120, and come on down to meet him.
A special thanks to ASPCA volunteer Debbie Rodriguez for making us this cute video!
Labels: Adopt, adoption center, Cats, New York City
posted by ASPCA at 4:52 PM PERMALINK
20 Comments:
I fell in love with Monty. He is the sweetest most affectionate cat I have ever met. Descriptive words for Monty are Love, affection, playful, and adorable.
I hope he goes to a good home. Who knows? Maybe it will be mine? We shall see. I am treating one of my cats now for a UTI and he needs all the attention he can get. If Monty is not adopted by the time my cat gets better, I will put in an application to adopt him.
I fell in Love!
signed: Zoe Una
an ASPCA volunteer
I sure hope he gets a good home he looks like he will be the best. He has so much spirit and love, you can just tell.
I think my kitten needs more time with me, she might be upset if I get another cat besides it wouldn't be fair for Monty or Mesha (my kitten.)Hope you get a great home, Monty, I know your find the right owner to love you just like I love Mesha.
Love:
Jenny, an ASPCA wannabe
Hi and guess what?
Monty is here! Home with me, my husband, my two shih-Tzu’s and two cats!
We have him in his safe room now so everyone can adjust comfortably. We put him in the upstairs bathroom, with his bedding, food, water, toys, litter box and some of my clothing worn clothing so he can pick up my scent.
We have two bedrooms adjacent to the upstairs bathroom. One bedroom is the resident cats master bedroom where we keep their food water fountain and litter box. The other bedroom is my bedroom. During the day I close the door to my bedroom, and so Monty gets to hang out on my bed, and also the bathroom. This gives him a bit more roaming room and he is still secure.
On the first day Monty snuck out of the bathroom, and we had a standoff with the resident cats! Quite a lot of hissing and growling, but Monty is slick and knows how to out trick them. But it was too much stress for all of them, so Monty is now secure in his safe room, and we are introducing them slowly as recommended.
The shih-Tzu’s adore him, but he is scared of them, so the intro has to take its time.
All in all things are working out well. Monty is a sweetheart. He has been scratching on my mattress, so I just got him a vertical scratch post, but he has not used it yet. I will get some more, and some catnip to entice him over to the posts.
The ASPCA gave us some really helpful information and we are following it. We want this to be a stress free experience for all.
oops - If this is a duplicate my apologies. I just previewed my post and made a boo-boo and it's gone, so I don't know if it got through or got deleted. Sorry. Here is a copy of it I had in word:
Hi again! I am not familiar with this blog, and don't know if this thread will be taken down since Monty has already been adopted. But I would like to continue to give internet updates on how we are all doing. If there is another place to post please let me know and I will move on over to the other internet location. Thank you.
So for today's update, and it's still early in the day, Monty is doing fine. We spend a lot of time together bonding. He likes to lay on my chest or cuddled next to me. I don't really like napping during the day, but by laying down on the bed with him, I found it to be a good way to bond.
Today I did the under the door thing with my resident cats, and Monty. I put treats by the bottom crack of the door, that there is about a half inch or more opening on the bottom there (due to a bad contractor) but it's really good for them to see each other. So Monty had his treats on his side, and the resident cats had their treats on their side, and all worked well. Monty played a little while, but then must have gotten scared and walked away from the door. Resident cats lost interest and walked away.
Later on, I got my old shih-tzu named Ras. Ras is very mellow, and I thought I would bring him in to meet Monty today. Scents have already been exchanged. So I brought Ras in to see Monty and he was very good. Monty was on the bed, and I sat on the bed with Ras holding him and petting both him and Monty.
Then Monty jumped off the bed and went under it. I put Ras on the floor and he ran around the bed to check Monty out. Monty hissed at Ras and Ras backed off. Ras then came over to me (on the floor at the foot of the bed) and Monty was under the bed at the head of the bed, and they just starred at each other, Ras wagging his tail all the time. This went on for about 10 minutes and then I felt it was enough for the first formal controlled introduction.
More to come - please post another link if this is not the right place to post my updates.
Thank you,
Zoe Una
Hi Zoe,
We love reading your updates on Monty! This is a great place to post updates - we don't delete posts from our blog, so feel free to let us know how Monty is doing on this post.
Thanks!
- ASPCA Web Team
Thank you so much. I find this to be a great support.
Zoe
I just made a mistake with Monty but it did teach me a lot.
I was in the bedroom hanging out with him, and then he started to scratch the boxspring on the bed. I clapped my hands and yelled NO! It scared the crap out of him, and he bit me.
So I walked out of the room and left him alone for a while. I realized what I did, so I took a handful of treats and went back into the bedroom with him. One by one I gave him a treat and then laid down on the bed and put a treat on my chest and gave him the rest of the treats. He then laid down on my chest for a while, and then walked over to my arm (where he bit me) and laid on top of my arm for a while.
Now I know I have to slow down with the introductions to the resident animals, and have him get totally secure with me and his present surroundings.
Monty is a special cat and I can't forget the fact that he went through a hell of a lot in life. I mean, all I know is that he had an injury to his tail, and he has a scared eye and all that must have been so painful for him and only God knows what he went through before that. I often wonder what he went through. If I could I would love to get more info on his background. It seems at one time he came from a loving family because of his affectionate ways.
So I am off to PetCo to pick up more supplies to make Monty happy. I find this process of gaining his trust very interesting. I did it once before with an abandoned/abused shih-tzu (Peter) and I am going to do it with Monty.
More updates coming.
Zoe Una
We just got home from what seemed like Christmas shopping for our pet family!! Spent a whole lot of $$$ and had a great time.
Came home and everybody got gifts. Monty was left alone for about 3 hours and when I came back he was so happy to see me. He loved the treats we got him, but didn't seem so crazy over the toys and scratch posts yet. We shall see. He didn't seem responsive to the catnip like the other two cats.
Time will tell - but all I can say is that tonight everyone here was a happy camper. Monty didn't want me to leave the room he was in!! I had to play sneak out/in using different doors. Love him.
We had a braekthrough! Last night we had a catnip party. The homies had a ball playing with all their new toys (I bought the same toys for the resident cats as I did for Monty) and the catnip induced playfulness. Monty does not react to catnip, and he did not play with any of the toys. However...
Before I got Monty the resident cats used to feel free to come into my bedroom at night. Shayna the female used to sleep next to me, and we would cuddle at night. This stopped once Monty came. At night I put Monty in the Bathroom, and leave my bedroom door open for the resident cats, but they have not come in at all. Last night the two resident cats (Nimo and Shayna) came into the bedroom and slept on my bed. Shayna did not cuddle next to me like usual, but at least they were back on the bed.
Nimo also played with Monty's scratch post that had catnip on it, and a little toy that hangs inside the box. So now the resident cats are getting used to Monty's scent. Though they were a bit high last night from the catnip!
I also noticed that Monty's ears are dirty. I don't know maybe he has ear mites, but I am waiting to take him to the vet. because I feel the stress of the transport would be worse for him that the dirt that is now in his ears. I want to keep him as stress free as possible so he does not come down with an upper resperitory infection. I will take him to the vet in about 10 days to be retested for FIV and to get his ears cleaned.
When he scratched my boxspring on my bed this morning I gave him a large catnip filled toy that is also good for scratching. He ignored it. I bought some sort of strips to put on the boxspring to make it feel uncomfortable for him when he scratches there. I'll check them out today. This bed I don't want destroyed. It's a good bed, and I want it for life. My resident cats destroyed the boxspring on the bed in their room, but it's a cheap bed, and well hell - it's their room! :-)
Zoe signing off for now.
Yea! Monty is playing with one of his new toys. I brought Ras into Monty's room (I was holding Ras), and then Monty went over to eat, and then he started playing with his toy. I see his spirits lifting. This is good.
OK - so I went back into Monty's room and found him in a cardboard box I put in there for him. This is the first time he went in there. So then I started to play with him with one of his little toys. He played! Then he walked away, and I thought playtime was over, but nooo - he went over to the plastic orange ball and knocked it across the room. So I rolled it back to him, and he then rolled it again and I rolled it back. Then the playing stopped, and he went under the bed. So I was ready to leave the room cause I thought he had enough, but before I left, I tapped the bathroom floor and he knew what that was for. He ran out from under the bed to the bathroom to get his treat before I left the room!!!
His spirit is coming back. He is perking up. This is such a beautiful experience I am so glad I can share it here.
LOL - I am going back in there now to hang out with him.
Ras freaks out when it rains. He starts to shiver uncontrollably. He is most comfortable in my studio when he is insecure. So I put him in there today when it was raining and I went inside to stay with Monty. Then Ras started barking - calling me. So I got Ras, and brought him in Monty's room with me and the three of us took a nap together. I didn't really sleep, just rested, and it really calmed Ras down. Monty was very comfortable with the 2 of us there. He cuddled on my chest, and then on my side. Ras basically ignored Monty. It was calm, and bonding.
It's been a while since I posted. So far 3 out of 4 have shown interest in Monty. Ras - the older shih-tzu, Peter - the younger shih-tzu, and Shayna our female cat. All 3 have met Monty under supervision, and all went great. The only one who has not shown an interest in Monty is our male cat Nimo.
Monty seems really ready now to come out of the bathroom/bedroom BUT he has not had his second required FIV test. With this I am very insecure as he does bite when scared.
It says on our papers he needs to be retested on the 22nd and so since I am taking Nimo down to the hospital on the 25th, I made Monty's appointment for the 25th also.
I wonder if he could be tested sooner, if it would make a difference. I would like to have him tested NOW so I can set him free to live a normal life. His first test came out negative, but they told my (to my surprise) that he need the retest as a precaution. I wish I didn't have to wait so long.
I feel bad for Monty in the room by himself. I go and visit him all day long but he now needs to roam and have more socialization.
I think I will call the vet and ask some questions. Maybe I could bring him sooner.
Monty is doing GREAT! It's a pleasure to have him here, and it looks like he is very comfortable and ready to explore the house. I'm just waiting for the OK from the vet to open that door for him. I had him in my studio with me yesterday so he could have a change of pace. We love him so much and he love us too.
It took some time for him to gain trust in us but now he knows. I also taught him to stop scratching the boxspring of the bed. Yeah - I just give him a little ehhh ehhh from a distance :-) and he learned not to do it. We do have other things for him to scratch, but I have yet seen him use them.
I am quite sure that once he starts roaming the house there will be more ehhh ehhhh's but there will also be more scratching toys.
He loves to cuddle up with me. Since I got him and he is in a bedroom and there is nothing else to do in that room for me, except lay on the bed, I wound up taking naps in the afternoon with him. He is a lot of fun and extremely affectionate.
What makes it even more satisfying is that he was not the "perfect" cat, since he was not a kitten, has one eye messed up and a stub for a tail from an accident where it had to be amputated. Inside those "defects" is a hell of a lot of LOVE. He is home now.
OK - Here is something to write home about.
Since my resident cats stopped coming in my room at night for the most part, and I didn't take a nap yesterday with Monty, I decided to let him stay with me in the bedroom for the night.
During the night he cuddled up and would nurse on the smooth shiny part of the blanket. It was adorable BUT check this out.
At about 2:30 in the morning I heard him walk into the bathroom and use the litter box. I don't know but for some reason when he goes it stinks to high heaven, so I usually clean it soon after I discover it, but last night I was sort of sleeping at that time.
So he came up to me to wake me up! Yes, he took his paw and rubbed my eye. I ignored it and wanted to see what he would do next. He rubbed my eye again, and I opened my eyes. Then I closed my eyes again, and again he took his paw and rubbed my eye. He wanted me to get up to clean his litter box. So I did! Oh my God, this guy is adorable.
There is no way I will ever part with this cat. If he turns out to be FIV+ which everybody doubts because he has been tested negative already, I will just have to make due and keep him separated from the other cats. But we are a team. He won’t ever be tossed around again.
Monty is doing great and he is now a resident cat! Sometimes I wonder about his past and what he went through, and it makes me sad.
He is still going through an adjustment period, but day by day he is gaining trust.
Everyone gets along now, but Shayna likes to give him a hard time. She has attitude but she is learning to share me with Monty. Shayna is extremely attached to me, so much so that she likes to hang out on my shoulders and cuddles up with me at night when we go to sleep. But she is starting to get nicer with Monty. I noticed yesterday she ALMOST started to clean him.
He does not scratch around the house. He has found the cat corner where I have a rug, and all sorts of things for the cats, and he scratches there. He learns very fast. One of his favorite spots is on the kitchen chair, and it has fabric on it. At first he wanted to use that as a scratching post, but all I had to do was say eh-eh-no and he stopped.
Please, please - look beyond the exterior of a pet and take a peek at the inside, that is where the treasure lies. Monty is a Blessing in my life.
Thank you ASPCA for saving Monty's life. I am really happy you did.
Thank you so much ASPCA,for saving Monty's life!He may be a"halftail"now,but I'm glad it has NOT dampened his spirits and lovingness!Keep up the great work with Monty ASPCA!!
Monty is really cute. I am glad that he got a good home, and he seems to be adapting really well! it warms my heart to hear about stories like this. Thank you Zoe Una!
Monty is absolutely fantastic and i didn't even notice that he didn't have a tail. We have a cat with only one ear and after a while you just stop noticing.
It won't be long before he is snapped up by someone.
Monty is very cute. I am glad aspca saved him. And thank you Zoe Una for taking such good care of him. I hope I can help aspca!
signed, Ally Z.
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