BB continues to make steady, heartening progress in his journey from fear toward trust.

He has now chosen a warm, deeply padded bed that he can completely sink into, and he clearly loves it,   a sign he’s beginning to feel safe enough to rest properly rather than stay constantly on alert. He is also actively looking for treats now, and when the crate door opens, he will poke his head out and seek out a finger offering food rather than retreating away. Growling and hissing have become rare, brief moments rather than his default response.

There are still occasional reactions, particularly when the crate environment is changed at night and the covers are lifted, but even then his responses seem more reflex than genuine fear. What’s most striking is the contrast in his body language — while he may still hiss in the moment, his eyes and posture often suggest something very different, almost as if he is already recognising safety and familiarity before his instincts fully catch up.

BB is steadily moving through that in-between stage where fear is fading, curiosity is growing, and trust is quietly beginning to take root. 🖤

 

 

 

BB Update

28 May 2026

 

BB is getting braver in lots of small but really important ways. He’s now eating both during the day and at night, which shows he’s starting to feel more comfortable in his space rather than only coming out when things are completely quiet. He’s also readily licking treats from my finger and has even allowed gentle strokes around his ear and cheek, which is a big step for a cat who has been so cautious and defensive.

There’s still the occasional hiss, but it often turns into him licking my finger mid-hiss, as if the fear response is there but no longer in full control. He’s also starting to venture partway out of his cubby while I’m still present, and I’ve even caught him out exploring a hanging toy. The moment he notices me, he quickly heads back to his safe space, but that balance between curiosity and retreat is exactly where he needs to be right now — slowly learning that the world outside his cubby might not be so scary after all.

 

 

 

 

BB Update

26 May 2026

BB Update – A Huge Milestone 🐾

BB is progressing so well.

The growling that once greeted almost every interaction has now faded to barely a murmur, and today he reached a very special milestone ….he licked treats directly from my finger.

For a frightened semi feral boy learning that people can be trusted, this is a huge step. Every little moment matters: each accepted touch, each calmer interaction, and each tiny sign that fear is slowly being replaced by trust.

He still likes to redecorate his crate overnight and has very firm opinions about certain boundaries, but his progress is beautiful to see.

Trust takes time, patience, and consistency, and BB is showing that even the most frightened cats can begin to feel safe when given the chance.

I’m so proud of this brave boy. 🖤

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BB Update

 Small Steps - Huge Progress

25 May 2026

 

BB Update – Small Steps, Big Progress 🐾

Progress with BB continues, one cautious little step at a time.

I’ve now been able to gently touch him while wearing a large protective glove (my thin skin at my age values the extra insurance!). To improve my chances of acceptance, I even rubbed the glove through his litter tray first so it carried a familiar scent, and it seems to have helped.

He tolerated gentle touch under his chin and on his paw without growling, which feels like a real breakthrough. Touching anywhere near his back end is still very much off-limits for now, and the growls quickly let me know that boundary is firmly in place.

We’ve also graduated from feeding treats on the end of a long paintbrush to a small ice cream stick, which he is accepting much more readily. It may seem like a tiny change, but for a frightened feral boy, these moments represent growing trust.

He’s also starting to come out of his cubby during the day to eat , though only when he’s absolutely sure no one is watching, of course.

His nightly “interior decorating projects” continue, with blankets and bedding regularly rearranged by morning. Apparently BB has very specific design standards for his crate.

Tonight he’ll be getting a fellow inmate, one of his many siblings, trapped last night and currently at the vet being desexed. I’m hoping having familiar company nearby may help him feel a little more secure.

We’ll share his or her story as soon as we have a name.

For now, BB is teaching us that trust isn’t rushed — it’s earned, one careful moment at a time. 🖤

 

 

 

 

 

BB Update

24 May 2026

 

Another honest BB update,  progress with these frightened, unsocialised cats is never a straight line.

BB is still very cross with me today.

While I was out in the shed sorting his litter box and refilling his food and water, he spent most of the time growling his displeasure at my presence. When I carefully moved his cubby hole back into place (with him still inside it), he launched another lunge and gave me an impressive spit for good measure. Clearly, I am still not forgiven 😅

He also seems to spend his nights redecorating. By morning, the towels covering his crate had been dragged through the bars or pulled down entirely. It’s as if he’s determined to dismantle his little setup one determined paw at a time.

He still growls when I gently touch him with the big paintbrush, especially over his body, so that fear and defensiveness are very much still there.

But here’s the important part....he now takes his creamy treats immediately and without hesitation.

That might sound like a small thing, but for a cat who was once so terrified he would shut down completely or react explosively, it’s actually a really significant milestone. He’s beginning to associate my presence with something positive, even while his instincts are still telling him to be afraid.

That’s the complicated reality of socialising a truly unsocialised cat. Fear and trust often sit side by side for quite a while.

BB is still telling me very clearly that he doesn’t trust human touch yet… but the fact he’s enthusiastically focused on his creamy treats tells me a tiny crack is forming in that wall of fear.

So we keep going. Quietly, patiently, one tiny step at a time.

He’s a beautiful boy beneath all that anger and fear, and he’s worth every bit of patience it takes to help him realise he is safe. 🤍

 

 

 

 

 

BB Update

22 May 2026

 

 

Today’s BB progress update comes mostly by way of videos, because sometimes the changes are so small that seeing them matters more than words.

At first, Brett was in the shed with me and BB completely shut down. No acknowledgment, no interest in creamy treats, nothing at all. Poor Brett eventually had to leave his OWN shed just so we could continue working with BB 😂

The milestones BB is achieving are tiny, and sometimes it can even feel like we’ve taken a step backwards. Today, when I gently touched his back with the brush, he struck out. Thankfully it was only half-hearted, but it reminded me how frightened he still is.

To be fair to BB though, he wasn’t hiding in his safe spot when I approached him. He had actually been brave enough to come out from his hidey hole and sit at the other end of the crate when I initiated that interaction. So honestly, that part was on me. I touched him while he was already outside his comfort zone.

I left him alone for a while and went back about an hour later to find him safely tucked back in his comfort spot. We tried again, and this time things went much better.

There were still quiet little growlies when I touched his body with the brush, but if you watch the videos closely, you’ll notice something important — he actually closed his eyes in slow blinks while I brushed around his cheeks and forehead. He was calmer. Less defensive. And far more interested in the creamy treats on the other end of the brush 😊

So yes, there’s a lot of footage of me quietly talking to him, but those little moments really do show the progress visually.

Considering we started with explosive lunges and a cat trying to melt through the crate bars in terror, this may seem like very small progress to some people… but it IS progress.

BB is utterly unsocialised. Even though he’s an “urban” cat who has lived around humans, he is absolutely terrified of human touch. It really makes you wonder what shaped him into such a frightened little soul as a kitten.

Underneath all that fear though, he is a beautiful cat. I truly believe that with enough patience, gentleness, and time, BB could one day become somebody’s lovely companion.

We’re just taking it one tiny step at a time. 🤍

 

 

 

 

 

 

BB Update

20 May 2026

 

 

BB – Day 2 of Confinement

Yesterday, BB lunged at me twice through the crate bars with all the fury his tiny frightened body could muster. He hissed, spat, and looked absolutely convinced that I was there to ruin his world forever.

Today was different.

Not magically different. Not “trusting humans” different. But softer around the edges.

This morning, when he hissed at me, I quickly offered a little creamy treat while his mouth was still open, which resulted in a very grumpy little “mumm-mumm-mumm” growl while eating. Apparently one can be furious and enjoy snacks at the same time.

Later on, BB became interested in the creamy treat again and carefully licked it from the end of one of my artist paintbrushes poked gently through the bars. Using the brush gave him distance and safety, while still letting him decide to come closer on his own terms.

Then came a moment that felt quietly important.

Using the soft end of the paintbrush, I gently rubbed his forehead while he watched me cautiously. No lunging. No growling. Just wide wary eyes and a frightened little cat trying to work out whether kindness is real.

He still used his bedding as a litter box overnight, which meant his poor bed had to be thrown out. But honestly, that is fear, not badness. Terrified cats often cling to whatever smells most like themselves. So today I rearranged his space — moving the litter tray into a more obvious position and creating a sturdier hiding corner where he can feel safe without destroying his shelter.

BB is not an aggressive cat.

He is a deeply frightened wee soul who has likely never had much reason to trust people before now.

And yet, on Day 2, there were already tiny moments of curiosity breaking through the fear:
a lick of creamy treat,
a cautious forehead touch,
a pause where there could have been another lunge.

Tiny victories matter.

Especially to cats like BB.

 

 

 

BB Update

19 May 2026

BB update 🧡💥

Our “Boom Boom” boy is currently very unimpressed with captivity.

He doesn’t sleep in the cosy bed provided for him… instead he used it as a litter box lol,  and tries desperately to squeeze underneath it, underneath himself, underneath reality itself if possible.

He ate some wet food last night, but today his dinner remained untouched. Mostly he alternates between growling at me, throwing himself dramatically at the crate bars, and attempting to melt through solid objects in the hope of escaping this terrible injustice. Even lungeing at me couple of times.  I don't take it personally,  it's pure fear and dread on his part.

At another point, while still growling the entire time, he cautiously licked Dine creamy treat from the end of a spoon through the bars.

And right near the end… his eyes softened.

Just briefly.

A tiny slow blink from a frightened ginger boy trying very hard to be brave in a world he does not yet trust.

Then he made himself small again.

These are the moments people don’t always see with trapped strays — the fear, the survival instincts, the confusion… but also the tiny flickers underneath it all. And those flickers are what motivates me,  to show him not all humans are evil.

For now, BB remains deeply offended by humans, recovery crates, spoons, and modern veterinary medicine in general.

But tonight he is safe. 🧡 I could let him go tomorrow,  but I'm rising to the challenge which may take quite a bit longer....but that's ok.  His safety is worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 BB Update

18th May 2026

 

Update on BB 💥🧡

Well… it turns out BB was in fact a “he”.

And is now technically an “it”.

Apparently our dramatic ginger gentleman also required a little “extra medication” at the vet — which honestly surprises absolutely nobody after last night’s Boom Boom performance in the trap.

He is now home for a couple of nights in the recovery crates before returning to his “relative freedom” outdoors… minus a few important accessories and with considerably less interest in fatherhood.

At present he looks deeply offended by the entire experience.

For those wondering, BB has many possible meanings:
Basil Brush (“Boom Boom!”),
Boom Boom itself,
or, in his calmer future era… Brave Boy.

But right now? He is simply “BB: Extremely Over It.” 🧡

B.B

17th May 2026

 

 

Tonight we trapped a new ginger boy — well,  what we think is a tomcat!

But who knows!?  The vets tomorrow may surprise us yet again....

At first he seemed surprisingly calm… until I picked up the trap.

BOOM 💥

For about ten seconds he transformed into a furry orange hurricane and absolutely exploded around the trap, then the second he was safely covered with a towel and settled in the back of the car, he went quiet again as if nothing had happened.

So naturally, the naming suggestions began:
Boom.
Basil (as in Basil Brush — “Boom Boom!” 😆)
Gingernut.

Right now I think he may officially be “BB”.

Another wandering soul safely off the streets tonight. 🧡