Despite a rough start to the day, it ended up being filled with our very first pets 🥳 I definitely think the sedation helped us out here. You can see in his eyes that he’s a little sleepy. Regardless, it was a huge win because it gave him an opportunity to learn to trust 🙌 As for our vet visit, Bruno got a thorough physical exam, FIV/FeLV test, bloodwork, urinalysis, and stool test. For the most part, everything looked normal. We only found a case of coccidia, which would explain the diarrhea and blood in his stool. It’s an intestinal parasite that is fairly common in stray cats. However, it wouldn’t quite explain his behavioral abnormalities. Although these tests came back clear, I’m still considering other underlying medical issues that could explain his behavior. I will continue to monitor him if this is the case. However, his behavior may very well be an emotional trauma response. I unfortunately don’t know his history… he could have easily been neglected and abused. If so, I have the time and patience for us to figure this out together. There’s no rush 💗

This is not the update I was hoping to share with you all 😔 After a long day of being out the house (which is not typical), I walked into his room to clean his litter box. I had my back faced towards him as I was crouched over scooping his box. He quietly sneaked up from behind and attacked my leg. I screamed because I was so caught off guard, and he immediately backed off. You can see how terrified he is in the aftermath. Bruno almost looks like he regrets it and looks sorry. He seems just as confused as me. I’m totally fine. Nothing some neosporin and bandaids can’t fix. I’m more so upset because it feels like such a major set back. I have several ideas as to what triggered this, but his behavior has been largely unpredictable and has felt confusing to me. I feel nervous sharing this with everyone, but I know how invested you all are on Bruno’s journey. I don’t want to sugar coat anything. Moments like this can feel really disheartening… but I need to remind myself that progress isn’t always linear. I don’t know what this journey holds for us, but I am committed to giving him all the love, time, and patience he needs to work through this together 💗

Bruno really said, “I do not want chicky!” 😾💪 I tried offering several different flavors, and he unfortunately didn’t go for any of them. Instead, Bruno was obsessed with this plastic bag. I’ve never seen a cat rub on and lick plastic before, so I was pretty confused. According to our vet, it’s not unheard of! Apparently there’s a chemical that is used to produce them that some cats are attracted to 🤷‍♀️

A lot of mixed signals coming from Mr. Bruno! He is definitely a confusing one 🤷‍♀️ I’m really starting to think that Bruno might have an underlying medical condition. He is very different from most of the behavioral cases I have worked with in the past. He can be so erratic, and I can’t seem to pinpoint any specific triggers. We have a vet appointment tomorrow for a thorough exam and bloodwork. I’m hoping that we get a better idea of what could be going on with our big boy 💗

When you want love, but don’t know how to ask for it 🫣 Bruno is starting to show more interest in me and really seems to want pets! He’ll slowly approach me, but then quickly gets scared and defensive. I have to stay very still and calm, because he snaps if I make any sudden movements. It makes me wonder what his life was like to make him so untrusting of humans 😔 Also, our vet appointment got moved to this Wednesday. We are planning on doing a thorough exam and bloodwork to rule out any medical causes for his aggression.