Princess Peach
OVERVIEW
NICKNAMES: Bitey McBiteface, Peach, Peaches
DATE OF BIRTH: Feb 19, 2014
PERSONALITY: Wants to be friendly, but will bite
QUIRKS & HABITS: Extremely talkative, likes to follow people around.
GOTCHA DATE: May 2, 2016
Peach is a stunning dilute calico, born in 2014, who came to live at the Commune due to severe behavior issues - namely aggression and aggressive biting. When Peach (formerly "Girlfriend") was adopted as a kitten, she showed some biting behaviors that may or may not have been play. A man in the adopting family encouraged that behavior by roughhousing with her with his hands. Her actual owner, an elderly woman, was also adamant about getting her declawed against veterinary advice. One of the vets at our clinic had Mimi discuss all of this with the owner at the time - the hand play and the declawing. She told the owner that declawing would likely increase the biting behavior, but the owner was very worried about her antiques.
Two years and several major bites later, the owner suffered some medical problems and could not get bitten any more, so she approached the vet about solutions. The options were given as allowing us (at the Commune) to take her and keep her (and possibly try to rehabilitate and re-home her) or euthanizing her. When Mimi was approached, she said of course we would take her. We really didn't have the space, but if we got the new feral enclosure done, she could go out there. This behavior problem is not her fault and we just could not let her pay with her life. We are comfortable with letting cats just be who they are with minimal interference. If she could be rehabilitated, great. If not, then she can live here with as much or as little human interaction as she desires.
Once Peach came to the Commune, we noticed frequent rippling skin, and a severe aversion to being touched on her back. Speculating a possible case of hyperesthesia like Fiona has, we put her on the same medication. It has helped her tremendously. Peach never went out to the feral enclosure. She made herself at home here in the main population. Now she mostly just growls and complains, though she will still bite on occasion. She seems to be a happy cat, and we are happy to have her here!
