CW: Suspected Animal Abuse, Heartbreaking
This is Raoul, the absolute baby fool. I love him so very much.
This little guy really breaks my heart sometimes-- he was born just before christmas, and was given to the shelter when he was just under ten months of age. When I first met him, he was all over me within minutes, and the foster said he pined for me -- I didnāt believe her, but I think maybe I do now -- heās scared of strangers, you canāt raise your voice around him, heās scared to go to the bathroom, the only way he knew to get set down was to nip. When I first brought him home he was underweight and malnourished.Ā
A few blinks, a little space and letting him meet me on his own terms was all he needed to adore myself and my housemates, @operagoose and @arakai. And he does! When my housemates and I go to pick him up, he rocks back on his back legs and stretches his front legs up for pick ups.
Heās full of personality, heās funny and sweet, he curls up as close as he can to you and nuzzles you. Heās a terrible smoocher, kneads like itās going out of style, and allĀ he wants in the world is to listen to your heartbeat. Someone tried to clip his claws at the root and he wails if he thinks youāre going to hurt him.
Iām pretty sure itās an age-old story. Christmas kitten taken from mother a bit too soon, taught a wealth of adorably bad habits, coddled like a dolly, and then surrendered once he got bigger.Ā
Heās still got heaps of bad habits. Weāre teaching him not to mouth at people, and the bin fishing isnāt something he can help, just gonna get a better bin. Weāre careful raising our voices around him. Give lots of encouragement when he goes to the bathroom. He lets us clip his claws now, so long as we make sure to stroke his paws between each one.
Heās a baby, and full of love, and I canāt believe how good-natured, how confident he is with us.
