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Naomi came to us in February, 2010. She was "dumpster diving" for food behind an apartment building on Marco Island. Apparently abandoned and not micro-chipped, she came to the shelter as a skinny, depressed and angry little girl. She had lost her home and as all little children do, she blamed herself for whatever must have gone wrong. Naomi is about 5 years old and was spayed already when she arrived so someone must have cared for her at one time. She was a tough kitty to figure out. She wanted attention and seemed to enjoy being pet but her quick reaction was to bite your hand in play.
Naomi is a classic example of a cat who was raised as a single kitten in a house with children. All she knows is to play with people and biting is a normal play activity for kittens. However, it is not very acceptable behavior when they become adult cats. No one had taught Naomi the difference. All the kids wanted to do was play with her and she did not have another cat or kitten to help her understand that biting hurts.
Today, she still loves to play and will race around the shelter. She adores kittens and she is "mom"; cleaning them and teaching them what they need to know and she bites them so they know that it hurts. She teaches them so they do not lose their home the way she did. Naomi is our "Shelter Manager". She is probably the smartest cat we have ever known. She can open almost any door or food container and has found vantage points where she can oversee every cage in the shelter. She is amazingly athletic, for her now plump little body, and she easily jumps and climbs to wherever she likes.
Naomi makes every new cat or kitten feel welcome and her friendship has helped them feel more comfortable in their new environment. Naomi feels her job is to motivate the volunteers to feed her as soon as they come in and a little bite on the elbow helps the process along. She does like to be pet now for short lengths of time and gives kisses and licks to the volunteers she likes. She is a smart little girl with a huge purrsonality. Naomi is a fun and interactive cat who has to be in the middle of anything going on but her quirky ways will probably keep her at the shelter. Perhaps some day, she will have a real home and not have to just watch as all the other cats and kittens she has helped go off to their new "furrever" homes.
