Carefully Dallas Stars Hoodie , silently he peers around the corner and when the air is clear he ducks and dashes from one safe place to the next. His habitual reaction is 'flight'. At the slightest unexpected movement or sound, he saves his hide - fast as a flash and silent as a mouse.... In the five years little Ben has been with us, there hasn't been a single incident that endangered his life or harmed him in any way. Yet he is always on the run and trusts only one person and sits only in one lap.
He was a rescue cat; a half starved, abused and sick little creature - saved from feline hell just in time to survive. Now, he's safe in a haven of gentle caring and still he scuttles, dashes and runs. It took me a while to understand that Ben doesn't run because he's afraid anymore, he runs because that's what he has always done. The fear he acquired has turned into a habit that defines everything he does.
Even when the house is quiet and no one else is around, this little black fur ball doesn't stride gracefully like any other cat, he moves like a flash and at best he trots. For the first 9 months of his life, that's what assured him survival and now, long after the causes have been forgotten, the behaviour continues - a habit acquired through fear.