The kitten certainly wasn’t the most adoptable one at Jelly’s Place shelter in San Pablo, California. When people walked by or approached the kitten’s cage, she’d retract her entire body into a corner and hiss.
The kitten, found as a stray, didn’t have much of a chance of winning an adopter’s heart.
The shelter’s staff called Kendal Benken, one of their seasoned feral kitten whisperers. “They said, ‘You better come here and take a look at this wild thing,’” Benken told The Dodo.
Benken knows a thing or two about taming even the most undomesticated kittens. She and her crew of rescue dogs and cats can make even the most distressed animals feel like a part of the family.
She rushed to the shelter and observed the kitten. Within minutes Benken decided the 5-week-old Siamese wasn’t frightening, but was likely frightened.
“No one could touch her. She was very angry,” Benken said. “She was a little, tiny demon. It was a fear reaction. She probably had never been handled. She acted so aggressively. She was hissing. She was adorable, though.”
The only way anyone could carry the surly kitten was to gently put a towel over her and wrap her up. Benken tenderly swaddled the kitten, put her in a crate and drove her home.
The kitten wasn’t pleased with this plan, and when she first arrived at Benken’s house, she was still grumpy. Benken just knew she’d win her over and named her Betty. “She had those [Bette] Davis eyes, huge, pretty blue eyes. She looked like a Betty to me,” Benken said.
Benken unwrapped Betty and made her a home in the middle of the kitchen. “I put her in a big dog crate with food, water and a litter box. She could not run and hide,” Benken said. “With feral kittens, the best thing you can do is force them out of their comfort zone and put them in a busy part of your house.”
Soon, Benken’s family of rescue animals came over to check out Betty. The dogs were quite fascinated with the testy new foster family member. Somehow Betty’s attitude made them even more in awe of her.
They’d huddle around the kitten and try to make her feel welcome, hoping one day, Betty would be their friend. And out of all the animals in Benken’s home, no one wished this more than Truvy, a giant yellow Lab mix who loves foster kittens.
“Truvy has a special gift. She gravitates toward the rescues. I think she fancies herself as a mama cat. Truvy was very fascinated by Betty,” Benken said.
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