06/02/2026
💕Caretaker Tuesday💕
Let’s hear from Deb about her buddy, Macaroni, and his long journey here at Wishbone House!
“I’m Deb, and this is my 6th year volunteering with Wishbone. I wanted to feature our beautiful ginger boy, Macaroni. He came to us fearful of his new environment, not knowing if he could trust the new humans around him. He had been in a home with lots of other cats and was fed, but not socialized. For the first 10 days, Macaroni hid behind a blanket and hissed and swiped at his caretakers whenever they came near. We accepted him for who he was, moving slowly and quietly around him, talking softly to reassure him that he was safe.
Eventually, he started peeking out to see what was going on around him, but still didn’t want us too close. One of our volunteers, Sue S. had a brilliant idea. Each night when she worked, she would sit on the floor outside of his enclosure and read Dr. Seuss books to him! Macaroni responded to her voice and the stories. He started coming out and lying on the floor next to where she was. He would even reach through the grate and put his paw on the book as she read to him. This small act of love and kindness helped him to start trusting us.
Every day, the caretakers would play with other cats in front of his enclosure. Macaroni mimicked the other cat's antics; rolling around, lying quietly on his back while the other cat received a belly rub, and then he’d swat at an invisible toy, just like the cat on the opposite side was doing. We knew then that Macaroni wanted to be part of our world. Lead caretaker, Ruth, started sitting in his enclosure with him when she did her daily updates, and Macaroni didn’t hide. He stayed on top of his tower and grew comfortable with her being there. One night when I was working, I offered him a treat. He licked it off my finger while allowing me to gently stroke his cheek with my thumb! It was a major breakthrough! He allowed me to touch him! Soon, I was able to pet and kiss him on top of his head! He started leaning in to be petted and purred with contentment. Another night, while sitting in his enclosure, he jumped into my lap and settled in for cuddle time. It was an amazing moment!
Since then, Macaroni has grown in confidence and is very trusting of most people, even new people whom he hasn’t met before. He has his time out of his enclosure to explore and interact with other cats, and has grown into a loving, social, friendly boy. Macaroni will make a wonderful companion for the right person who will be patient with him and love him into being the best boy he can be. Come and meet Macaroni at Wishbone House. He might just be the perfect companion for you!”
