Food for Thought about acquiring an Oriental Shorthair Cat

A small personal rant from Pearl and I to anyone considering an Oriental Shorthair. Please, keep this in mind when you make your decision.

I am sure she meant well. And shit happens. But this is why Pearl and I very so very strongly about encouraging you to think very hard before purchasing a cat of any Oriental breed.

She purchased Pearl as a baby, when she began college. Wow, she was free, had her very own home, and wanted her very own kitten. Pearl responded, as Orientals do, by giving her whole heart to her human.

A year later – which is a long time in human terms at that point in human lives – something happened. I don’t know what, but I know that the young woman had to abandon her college and return home. Home was someplace out of state. And for some reason, home would not welcome Pearl.

She did her best, this young lady to whom I owe Pearl. She placed Pearl, at considerable expense, in a no-kill shelter. I’m sure she was well aware that our local shelter would have immediately put a deaf cat to death as an unadoptable. See, she did try.

And yet even this no-kill shelter was hell for Pearl. She missed her human. Strangers and strange cats surrounded her. Often she was frightened. The volunteers didn’t understand, perhaps some didn’t even know, that she was deaf, and so if she was sleeping and you touched her, she was quite startled. In fact, it is possible to “sneak up” on Pearl without hardly trying, if she is facing away from you, or has her eyes closed dozing or asleep.

Some of the strange cats wanted to be friendly, others wanted to fight. Again, Pearl cannot hear a warning growl or hiss and was often “blindsided” by an attack. Never a friendly or outgoing cat – she became even more isolated, lonely, and moody. Her nasty streak insured that she became ever more so as time went on.

This particular no-kill group did not have the facilities to allow the public to come to the shelter, and so they took cats to pet shops and events for “showings”. Pearl found these to be horrible, frightening experiences and would fight tooth and claw to avoid being taken. Once at the showing, she would hiss and spit at everyone who approached her. Pearl doesn’t like strange people. Beautiful, but dangerous. Soon, she was never taken to be shown at all.

She became ill. Orientals are somewhat delicate and sensitive to their surroundings, and she felt she was in hell. So now she had strangers, often someone different every day, grabbing her and trying to force pills down her. She didn’t feel well. She didn’t understand they were trying to help and fought them with all the passion of her soul. Some of the volunteers ceased to even try to give her medicine – and so she remained ill for months.

A year after Pearl was placed with the group, I came to volunteer at the shelter. I am fond of the Orientals and found her exquisite beauty irresistible. To be fond of Orientals is to be aware of and tolerant of their moodiness and sometimes downright nasty tempers. Pearl, at that time, was still ill. Not to take any special credit, other than for experience with similar cats, I was one of the few volunteers able to get a pill into her without requiring stitches afterwards. I was persistent in trying to woo her, ignoring her nasty moods, retreating when bloodied, but always returning to the pursuit.

When I asked to take her home, I think it was with a profound sigh of relief that the group let her go.

Pearl accepted my husband and me. We provide her favorite food (in fact, she will go on a hunger strike rather than eat any other brand). Even though I never previously really bought cat treats – she has her favorite treats, and so we buy them just for her. We discovered her favorite sort of toy and she gets a new one (clear balls with little twirly or sparkly things inside) every few months. She loves computers and one of ours sits at all times with HER favorite screen saver and wallpaper and games.

She still runs and hides whenever anyone, even a friend who has visited for all these four years she has lived with us, comes into the home. Over time she has given me a grudging amount of affection. She sleeps at my feet on the bed and on occasion, condescends to sit with me as I read quietly on the couch. Now and then she condescends to show a little affection to my husband. Still, she spends much of her time alone, aloof.

She is still waiting for her REAL human to come back for her…