Zester

Zester is a lovely cat looking for a calm, quiet home. He is shy when arriving in a new home; so it will be extremely helpful to keep him contained to a single room (such as a bedroom) for the first week or so. The smaller space really helps him feel safe and allows him to come out of his shell much sooner than being overwhelmed with having access to the entire home right from the start. After a few days to decompress in his foster home, he started to feel safe and his true true personality started to come out. He is a really sweet cat who enjoys attention and being petted. In a previous foster home he got along well with his one foster cat roommate, but he’s not a fan of when other cats are boisterously in his face during playtime or who come rudely barging over when he’s enjoying cuddles with his human. So, we do feel he would be best suited to being an only cat in his forever home. He hasn’t had direct interactions with a dog, but given his need for a quiet home, not sure how he would do with a dog. If there are children in the home, we recommend older children only, as he prefers a calm environment. Health notes: This past winter Zester was not doing well. An abdominal ultrasound done at the Ottawa Veterinary Emergency Hospital determined he has IBD- Irritable Bowel Disease and an xray noted crystals in his bladder, so although he was not displaying urinary issues at the time, a diagnosis of FLUTD - Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease was made . Zester's conditions are now well managed on a prescription Veterinary sourced diet which he should remain on for life - "Royal Canin Multi Function Urinary SO Hydrolyzed Protein" dry food. He is also on a maintenance dosage of 0.2ml Prednisolone every 24 hours . The Xrays also revealed anomalies with some of his other internal organs, which at the time did not and in future may never cause him issues - it's just now we know they are there. Zester's litter box should scooped & often to prevent any issues with litterbox aversion and stress. Ear tip: You may wonder why some of our cats, like Zester, have tipped left ears. These cats originally entered our care through a Trap‑Neuter‑Return (TNR) program, where ear‑tipping is a standard and humane method used to identify outdoor community cats who have already been spayed or neutered. After spending time with us, it became evident that some of these cats like Zester, were better suited to indoor living and demonstrated the temperament needed to transition into our Adoption program. Although they began as part of the TNR initiative, their comfort and behavior indicated that they would thrive as companion animals rather than returning outdoors.