Betty may look adorable, but when shelter staff at Jelly's Place in California first met her, she was a little angry ball of fur.
The little kitten wouldn't let anyone go near her. If anyone approached her cage, she would squeeze herself into the further most corner and hiss.
Grumpy and angry
Staff wanted to find a forever home for the Siamese kitten. But there was no chance of her winning over any potential adopter's heart with that kind of behaviour. So they got in touch with Kendal Benken.
Kendal and her gang of rescue cats and dogs know all about taming wild strays. They were more than happy to take on the challenge of trying to straighten out grumpy Betty.
As soon as Kendal met Betty, she knew that the little 5-week old kitten was just frightened. The hissing was her way of reacting to fear. The poor kitty had likely never been handled, so when people approached her, she became aggressive as a way to protect herself.
Lessons in love
Once Kendal brought Betty home, Kendal's rescue Labrador Truvy became a little obsessed with the young feline. Truvy would regularly visit Betty's crate to see how she was doing.
Even though Betty wasn't the friendliest of house guests, that didn't put Truvy off. Every time Kendal held Betty, Truvy would come over, lick her head, and give the kitten a good clean.
Gradually, Betty started to come out of her shell more and more. It wasn't long before all Truvy's love and attention started to pay off, and Betty accepted the giant pup as her new best friend. In fact, Betty fell whiskers over paws in love with Truvy.
The kitten would seek out her canine playmate and curl up to sleep on her any chance she got. Truvy had shown Betty that she didn't need to be so afraid and taught her how to love.
Thanks to foster mum Kendal and best friend Truvy, Betty is now a sweet, loving and affectionate kitten and can finally live her best life with her forever family.
