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Martin is
looking for
his forever home
Martin was rescued in February 2024 and is currently living in a foster home in Brooklyn, NY since May 2024 with his two foster sibling kitties that he gets long great with.
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Martin has a scar on his face that tells his story before he was rescued but it doesn't define him. Martin is sweet, lazy and silly, and would do best in a home with a kitty friend.​
Based on his dental, he is estimated to be 5 years old but we think he might be a few years older.
He is neutered, vaccinated, FeLV negative, and *FIV positive. He seems to have a sensitive stomach but has been doing well with moderately priced non-prescription wet food.
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(*Edited on 9/1/2024 after clarification from his rescuer that Martin is in fact FIV+. Our 2 cats that live with him are FIV- and the risk of transmission is extremely low. FIV+ cats live long and healthy lives just like any other cat. They do not require any additional medical care or additional care in general. His rescuer can answer any additional question!)
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He is available for adoption in New York, as well as out of state in Northeast.​
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If you are interested in adopting Martin, please fill out an adoption application with the 5 Kittens Rescue. Once your application has been approved, you will have a video interview with the rescuer, then with Martin's foster parents. An in person visit can be scheduled after that.
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Check out what Martin and his siblings are up to on his foster parents' instagram @meowis.house.
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Martin is a big boy. Until he finds his forever home, you can help feeding him by buying his food on this Amazon Wishlist. Alternately, you can venmo his fosters at @hotdog69. For reference, Martin eats two 5.5oz cans of Merrick Limited Ingredient turkey or duck per day.
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You can also support Martin's journey to his forever home by sharing this link on your social or wherever else you can, and asking your peers to share as well.
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Contact: yes@nicolejs.com | the5kittensrescue@gmail.com
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Martin's Journey
Martin's story begins earlier this year when he wandered into a cat colony in South Brooklyn.
An independent rescuer started a TNR (trap-neuter-return) project, and during this time, Martin got into a bad fight with another cat, likely because he was still intact.
By the time he was finally trapped, his wound had become severely infected, and a chunk of the left side of his face was missing.
The fight left him with a severe gash on his face, making him even more challenging to trap.
At first, his rescuer thought Martin was a feral cat but wanted to ensure he healed fully before releasing him back to the colony.
As his wounds healed though, it became clear that Martin was incredibly friendly and ready for indoor life, but having been confined in a crate for 2 months at this point started to take an emotional toll on him.
Once brought inside, Martin underwent an extensive healing process. This included having drains placed in his neck, daily bandage changes, red light therapy, and comprehensive pain management.
He also had to be confined to a crate to minimize the risk of reinfection. After his initial treatment, he was so agitated from the pain that he even tore through his first cone.
I've fostered several cats from Amy who runs a small local rescue known as 5 Kittens Rescue. After Martin's original rescue took him off the street, Amy had been caring for him during his recovery.
Amy posted on Instagram that Martin was showing signs of depression and desperately needed a foster home to help him recover and become the happy house cat he deserved to be.
After seeing Martin spend most of his time sitting in his litter box with his head down, my partner and I decided to open our home to him. No sad cat on our watch!
Having fostered about eight cats before (with two becoming permanent residents), I knew introducing new cats could be challenging, but I was feeling confident!
​Our resident cat Paul Stanley aka paulcat, is very outgoing and loves meeting new feline friends, so I was excited for him to show Martin how to cat. He teaches all of our fosters how to cat!
Our second resident cat Ericka is a bit sassy, so I was a little nervous about how she would react. She was the newest cat at the time so this was gonna be her first time meeting a new cat as well. But I did successfully socialize her watched her blossom into a confident little love bug from an anxious swatty girl.
I knew a slow introduction was essential because Martin hadn't had any stimulation for over two months and would be overwhelmed.
But living in a one-bedroom apartment in NYC, I introduce new cats by keeping them in a crate with food and litter box, in the living room for about a week until everyone feels comfortable.
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I basically do everything Jackson Galaxy says NOT to do but hey, I do what I can with the limited space I have.
First week is always stressful. I start with having the crate covered with a sheet, then watch everyone’s body language and vibes closely to decide how much more to let them interact and when.​
During this time period, all the cats would have the opportunity to smell and acknowledge each other's existence while having physical barriers in between them.
I set up a web cam to spy on him and he was just sleeping a lot at first.
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He was still sad and scared but perked up whenever I crawled into the crate to pet him.
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He scarfed down all his meals in a minute as if it would be the last time he was ever going to see food.
His coat was dirty and sticky from not having groomed himself so long because he's been under a lot of stress. With every stroke of pet, my hand was full of clumps of fur.
In a few days, I'd put Paul and Ericka in the bedroom so Martin could have a private tour of the living room and he loved it! Amy was surprised to see him be so lively.
After a little over a week of arrival, Martin let me know he was ready to come out of the crate, and all three cats began to free roam together.
Let me be very honest here. The first week of free-roaming was… a lot.
Paul was very curious and excited as he always is with new cats. But Martin was understandably very defensive and hissed and swatted whenever Paul or Ericka came near him.
I started to wonder if I bit more than I can chew, but I reminded myself that Martin hadn't had any kitty friends in months.
He was very sweet to humans and loved pets. I just needed to be patient and trust Martin and my cats to help him open up.
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No pictures from this week lol
Slowly but surely, things got better. They all learned each other's boundaries and that no one was trying to hurt anyone.
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Now, after three months, Martin has relaxed significantly. His coat is no longer sticky and he sheds normal amount. He is now fully used to the twice a day room service so he takes his time with his meals.
He decided his favorite toy is the cat nip banana, just like every other house cat ever.
He even attempts to play with Paul and Ericka now.
They still don't fully understand each other, but they keep trying, and no one is scared. Martin is really the laziest cat who is just happy to live indoors.
He spends about 10 minutes a day being silly with his foster kitty siblings. He's a low-maintenance friendship kind of guy.
Martin loves a good box and prefers to spend most of his time in one.
He loves getting pampered with furminator brush. I brush him long enough, he 100% will flop over and make air biscuits.
I can’t believe how far he has come! Every day, I’m proud and inspired by his resilience. Despite his rough journey, his spirit remains high, and he’s not afraid of anything.
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He loves his kitty siblings and he's great with guests.
While Martin may not be the typical cat people look to adopt, I know there's someone out there who can look beyond his scars and see the sweet, silly, older cat he truly is.
We are patiently waiting for that special person to welcome Martin into their family.
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Could it be you? Or someone you know?
If you are interested in adopting Martin, please fill out an adoption application with the 5 Kittens Rescue. Once your application has been approved, you will have a video interview with the rescuer, then with Martin's foster parents. An in person visit can be scheduled after that.
​
Check out what Martin and his siblings are up to on his foster parents' instagram @meowis.house.
​
Martin is a big boy. Until he finds his forever home, you can help feeding him by buying his food on this Amazon Wishlist. Alternately, you can venmo his fosters at @hotdog69. For reference, Martin eats two 5.5oz cans of Merrick Limited Ingredient turkey or duck per day.
​
You can also support Martin's journey to his forever home by sharing this link on your social or wherever else you can, and asking your peers to share as well.
​
Contact: yes@nicolejs.com | the5kittensrescue@gmail.com​
Looking to adopt a cat but don't feel like Martin is the perfect fit for you?
Worry not!
There are plenty of other rescue cats available for adoption. I work with a few local cat rescue orgs such as Greenpoint Cats, Brooklyn Kitty Committee, and of course The 5 Kittens Rescue that Martin currently belongs to.
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Submit an adoption application with any of them and they would be happy to find the best match for you and your lifestyle.
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We all have the same goal: long term success! Let's find your purrfect kitty friend!