22/08/2025
From spicy to sweet - Moonpie's journey 🐾
Moonpie came to IBKC in May with her 3 siblings - John, Starmie, and Midnight (who are now with Pōneke Ngeru Rescue).
Moonpie was the wildest of them all and wasn't a fan of any human contact. As her first foster mama once said, she "loves chicken, hates the world." 😹
Sometimes she would attack unprovoked, and sometimes she would allow her foster mama to give her food and clear the crate. It was always a surprise which Moonpie you were getting!
She was in the same room as her siblings, but it was mostly Midnight who would lie with her.
Months went by, and while John and Starmie were making progress, Moonpie wasn't. Her fear response seemed to set Midnight off, too, who was up and down with progress, and we started discussing what their future would look like.
We hoped that Midnight could come around if separated from Moonpie, so we moved her, John, and Starmie into Lallybroch, and Moonpie stayed in the second foster home. At this point, we thought the best outcome for Moonpie was going to be a barn cat lifestyle, unless this separation somehow switched things, and we wanted to give Midnight the chance to experience affection without influence before considering rehoming her as a barn cat with Moonpie.
This turned out to be the best decision we could have made, for both Midnight and Moonpie!
Midnight came out of her shell and even played with her committee carer. One week later she left for Wellington with John and Starmie, where she (and her affectionate brothers) are thriving 😻 (John and Starmie are up for adoption now! Check out their post - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EtDRJURdk/ )
Moonpie started warming up to her foster home as a single kitty. She greeted her foster parents with purrs and leg smooches - but only on her terms!
As time has passed, Moonpie has become more settled. She started playing with the resident cat and we figured maybe she just didn't like her siblings all that much 😹
She now sleeps on their bed at night, and sits beside them on the sofa.
She accepts affection, still on her terms, but we have been absolutely blown away by how quickly she has flourished since being apart from her siblings and found comfort in her foster home.
Not every wild cat is able to be rehabilitated, but putting in the effort and trying new things can greatly increase their chances, and Moonpie is a great example of this.
We are so happy to say that Moonpie has officially been adopted by her foster family.
She found her people. That was clear to us and to them, and we couldn't be happier for her and her forever family 🥹
What a perfect ending to her journey at IBKC 🤍
