Astro IF051-21

Physical Description

Astro is a solid-bodied black and white cat. His fur is short but relatively thick and he could use the occasional brush. His fur has become a lot more soft since being in foster care and eating good quality cat biccies.

Known History & Temperament

Astro was acting rather ‘undomesticated’ in the pound, and we weren’t sure what sort of personality he would have once out. It took quite an effort to get him out of his pound pen into the cat carrier, and his carer was convinced he would turn out to be fully feral. How wrong that assumption was!

Since arriving in care, Astro has become a super smooch of a cat who puts a lot of strength behind his head bumps. He will trample whoever or whatever he has to in order to give you head bumps and snuggles. He is first on the bed in the mornings demanding snuggles and reminding you it’s food time – he barely even wants to let you get out of bed! He does roly-polys and purrs up a storm when feeling affectionate. He is constantly at his carer’s feet, so can be a trip hazard.

He has really surprised us all with how subservient he is to other cats, for a big-boned boy – he just flattens himself when another cat hisses or challenges him. Once or twice he’s been spotted swiping at another cat who is annoyed with him. Mostly he just flinches and waits for whatever will happen to happen. He’s not deterred by dominant cats who tell him where he can and can’t go – he’ll just come back again for another attempt a moment later!

Interests and Hobbies

Astro really just loves food, and company, for the most part. He has taken a while trying to find his place in his current foster home in terms of who he can be friends with, but he is fine with other cat company (even cats who don’t appreciate him). Currently he is enjoying being outside in the cat enclosure his foster carer has – fresh air and distance from the human when he wants it, which seems less and less often. After he’s had food he can generally be found on one of the high perches in the cat enclosure, curled up and overseeing everything.

Dislikes

Astro doesn’t like it when people loom over him and appear to be trying to reach out and grab him. When feeling threatened, he will hiss loudly and flatten his ears – and any sudden and unexpected movement from a human can make him feel threatened, especially when he’s first getting to know that human. He can be picked up and will stay there for small periods of time, head bumping and being ridiculously affectionate. Then he decides he’s had enough and will literally throw himself out of your arms to get down to the floor again. He doesn’t like being rushed out of his shell – he needs time and space to do it in his own time. He also gets a bit flat-eared with loud noises. He has never bitten though occasionally he has swiped – never doing any damage.

Purrfect Home

Astro needs a home with cat-savvy people who are happy to give him time and space to adapt to his new environment. A quiet household would be great, and other cats are fine for him even if they want to be boss. It’s important to note that he’s quite a trip hazard so would not suit a home where tripping over a cat could be dangerous for resident humans. He probably won’t suit young children either.

He likes his Royal Canin biccies (Neutered Satiety currently), and when he had to adapt to a change in biccies he took a little while but eventually got the hang of it. He needs a fresh bowl of water available at all times.

Health Notes

Astro is a healthy cat, and had an FeLV/FIV SNAP test that came back negative (yay for Astro!). He occasionally has a bit of dirt in the corner of one eye that can be cleaned away.