Project Velcro: Meet Geisha

TCR has rescued over 200 cats through Project Velcro, but one cat that has pulled at the heart strings of anyone who has met her is GEISHA. Geisha is a small five year old tabby girl, who had such a severe infestation of ear mites that they ruptured her eardrums leaving her with a significant head tilt.When Geisha was first rescued she did not move and did not use the litter box. It was not a matter of going outside the litter box, she was not able to go to the bathroom by herself. She sat crouched with her head tilted and didn't move. When she was put in foster care, her foster Mom was told that we would assess her quality of life after her round of medication was complete. This made her foster Mom more determined than ever to do whatever it took to save Geisha.For the first couple of weeks Geisha would need to be massaged to go to the bathroom. She would be put into the litter box to see if that would help. One day in the second week she crawled to the litter box by herself, but still needed help to go. This continued over the next few days until one day Geisha went into the litter box by herself. Two days later she went in and used the box by herself. This was a huge milestone!Geisha's foster Mom has fostered other injured kitties in the past and started doing physio therapy with her from day one. Since Geisha was not able to stand it was understandable that taking herself to the litter box was difficult. But getting her muscles moving and getting her to stand and then walk was part of the plan. At first she was only able to take a step or two without falling over. The eardrum problem and head tilt disrupted her sense of balance.Geisha has now been in foster care for almost two months. Her progress in this short period of time is incredible. She is still on medication for a persistent cold, but her mobility is now such that she is able to walk the entire length of the living room without falling over, and has even been seen taking a few jogging steps at meal time to get to her food bowl. She still has a head tilt and likely always will. She cannot climb up onto anything, so everything she needs including her bed and lots of toys are on the floor. She still gets physio every day as well as lots of play and cuddle time with her foster mom, where she shows her love by making biscuits and purring.Geisha has recently taken an interest in a dangly toy hanging from the door frame. It's low to the ground and she bats it back and forth a few times before tackling her favourite toy mouse. She also loves to cuddle up to the other foster and resident kitties in the home. We are continuing to work with Geisha for a while longer to build her strength and get rid of her cold. After that, she will be spayed and ready for adoption!If you want to help contribute to Geisha's (or other TCR foster cats) medical expenses while they are in foster care, you may donate online today. Thank you!