Over the next few weeks he completely decompressed. Eventually he had some kitten friends in the room with him and he was like a mother hen with them, holding them with his paws and grooming them

Machiavelli witb Able, his adoptive brother

MACHIAVELLI

From Terrified and Aggressive to Affectionate and Nurturing

Machiavelli was rescued from a local shelter. One of our rescue coordinators was making a visit and planning to take a few cats for our rescue. When she entered one of the cats rooms Machiavelli was in his cage with a towel over the door with a sign that said not to approach that he was very aggressive. When she went to take a look at it was true. He attacked the cage door. Even so there was just something about this cat that pulled at her heart strings. More than likely this cat would be euthanized for his aggression.
We asked what his story was and we were told that he was found abandoned in an apartment with a dog. He was so stressed out that he had to be trapped and then the cage just put him over the edge. We decided to take a chance on him. The shelter agreed to sedate him and do all of his vetting and neuter while he was under anesthesia. We picked him up later that day and brought him home to the rescue coordinator’s house where he had an entire spare bedroom to himself. Immediately out of the cage he became relaxed.
Over the next few weeks he completely decompressed. Eventually he had some kitten friends in the room with him and he was like a mother hen with them, holding them with his paws and grooming them. He never showed any signs of aggressive behavior after that. He stayed with the foster for a few months and learned to trust. Eventually he moved to one of our adoption venues and was there for a few weeks when a family came in and was just mesmerized by him. They ended up adopting him with a young kitten.
It’s been several months since he was adopted and his family reports that he is the most affectionate cat they’ve ever known. From a recent email from his adopter they said that “I also wanted to tell you what a lap cat he has become. Whenever I sit down - especially if I'm trying to write - he leaps into my lap and then wriggles up right under my chin, turning over so he's on his back with his paws waving in the air, asking me to rub his chest; and he either gazes into my face or burrows his head into my neck, purring all the while. He'll lie like this for half an hour or more and if I put him down he jumps right back up. He is the most affectionate cat I've ever known! Thank you for taking such good care of him!” We are so grateful that Machiavelli has a happy ending. This is one of those stories that makes all of the effort and sacrifice that come with rescue worth it!