My name is CANDYLAND!

Candyland:

I have the potential to be an easy-going, gentle cat once I warm up to my people. I will need a VERY patient, cat-savvy adopter who can read my body language and give me time to blossom into my true personality.

I am easily stressed/overwhelmed during transitions and I am looking for an adopter who is willing to give me as much time as I need to settle in. This could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks. My success will be dependent on how well my adopters are able to read and understand my body language.

It is recommended that I be set up in my own space (an extra bedroom or bathroom) - a space that people or pets will not use unless going in to clean or feed. This will allow for protected contact along with providing a safe space for me. I should be left alone initially as I adjust. This space should include plenty of hiding places, ideally with access to a vertical surface such as a cat tree or a cat-proofed shelf. I can gradually be given more access to the home when I am confidently moving about my environment with relaxed body language when my adopter visits me in my room.

I should never be approached or picked up when I am hiding or showing fearful body language such as curling up into a tight, tense ball, flattening my ears backward or to the sides, hissing, growling, swatting, etc. Ideally with enough time to myself, I will begin to relax and move around more freely while my adopter is visiting my room.

Meeting new people can be very overwhelming for me. It is possible that I may only ever be comfortable in my small bubble. Adopters should be comfortable knowing that I may never want to expand my social circle. With visitors, I should be given the option to stay in a different space such as another room with a closed door, under the bed, somewhere up high, etc. I should never be forced to interact with new people if my body language or behavior indicates that I am afraid.

I came from an overcrowded home with lots of other cats. I have been using my litter box consistently here at the shelter, but my adopter needs to provide me with a slow litter box introduction since it is unclear what my litter box habits were in my previous home.

In my previous home there were multiple cats, but we do not know how we interacted with one another. I should not be introduced to existing pets in my new home until I have had a chance to adjust to my new environment on my own