Spicy Cat Trio Makes Their Foster Mom Work Twice As Hard To Make Them Sweet As Sugar
Wasabi, Ginger, and Pepper came into foster care with plenty of attitude and almost no trust. The wild-born kittens hissed, hid, and wanted nothing to do with people when the Orange County Animal Shelter took them in.
That is where Baby Kitten Rescue and foster volunteer Jamie stepped in. Over the next several weeks, she worked to help the spicy trio get used to human touch, indoor life, and the kind of care they had never really known before.
It took patience, gloves, and a lot of repeat effort, but these three little cats were about to show real progress.
Wasabi, Ginger, and Pepper are cats born in the wild.
She spent the following couple of weeks getting to know them and providing exactly what they needed to become balanced social cats. The beginning was very rough with all the spitting and hissing, which got out of control, but after a few days, there was improvement, with Jamie joking that they were all hissing at her, but she’s not afraid for her life anymore.
They were kind of ferocious when the Orange County Animal Shelter took them into care.
As Jamie became more familiar with each cat's character, she assigned a spice level rating to each of the fiery cats.
That is when each kitten started to get its own personality label.
The beginning was very rough with all the spitting and hissing
Ginger girl was rated at Spice Level 1 out of 5, as she is a torbie feline that Jamie viewed as having a tabby head and a calico body. Even though she had spunk, she was a fearful kitty who would quickly run and hide, leading Jamie to conclude that Ginger was all hiss and no bite.
Ginger girl is a torbie cat
The head of the litter, Pepper, is rated at 2 out of 5, and he is a mustachioed gentleman who wears his best tuxedo. This particular hisser was believed to be a girl until his marbles dropped in as a shock.
And she's quite adorable
Regardless of his sex, Jamie felt they would be quick friends, as Pepper was the first cat to explore and use the potty. Despite still dealing with the hisses, he held himself together well when wrapped in a purrito style!
It’s hard not to think of the teen who planned to snatch her little sister’s cat during moving out.
The leader of the litter, Pepper, is a mustachioed gentleman
Jamie says that "Wasabi is the spiciest and spittiest of the three," and he was rated at 3 out of 5 on the spice scale. This Siamese floof has already earned the title of "King of the Side Eye," and he has made significant strides, with Jamie stating that he's done trying to bite her, which is progress.
He loves being wrapped purrito style!
In any case, she still kept her bite gloves on for some time while taking care of Wasabi, since cat teeth hurt when they bite you!
Wasabi is the spiciest and spittiest of the three
After all the biting stopped, Jamie learned that Wasabi cherished a good wrap-up, sharing that "while he is still the spiciest of the three kittens, he will fall asleep almost immediately when I put him in this position or if I swaddle him in a baby blanket."
Jamie still puts on her gloves with this one
All these small wins were truly tremendous gains in helping the cats become social in preparation for their permanent homes.
They have come a long way from the hissy start.
From spicy to decency
After two weeks of steady care, coaxing, and feeding, Jamie received her first purrs from the furry kitties. While they weren't exactly prepared for endless cuddles, those adorable purrs were evidence that the little cats were adjusting to life indoors with people.
The labor of love is always worth it
Jamie continued her work day after day to socialize the cat trio, and she consistently achieved an increasing number of wins. However, they were still sensitive to abrupt movements and new things.
They've found happiness in their forever homes!
Wasabi, Ginger, and Pepper have surrendered their hissy behaviors, and they enjoyed creeping up on Jamie. Three weeks of patience and exposure went by, and Jamie's wonderful labor of love triumphed, as the spice kitties are no longer so fiery.
They are now sweet little cats who have found happiness in their permanent homes!
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