Tuxedo, you were the meanest of the mean, a little hissing, spitting ball of fur. Gary couldn't believe that such a little kitty could be so full of piss and vinegar - and no bigger than his hand!
You TOTALLY disrupted the feral colony, you sent two kitties to the hospital! YOU WERE "UNADOPTABLE." !!!!
It broke our hearts to adopt - or adopt out - your brothers and sister but not you.
But we were determined to take care of you - and you filled out so nicely for winter!
...and then in December, you headbumped Gary, and everything changed. You became his purr baby boy. What to do? It dropped below zero for several weeks - and every time we opened the door, you would come running. Of course you refused to live in the warm shelter we provided, you crazy cat. So we found a boarding facility that would take you. *phew* You were in from the cold. But every time we visited, it got harder and harder to leave.
...and then you got sick. A UTI. The boarding facility called and said, "I think there's something wrong with your cat." (He hadn't eaten for three days - thank GOD he wasn't blocked for that long or he would be dead! Poor baby was soooooo sick). We whisked you off to the hospital.
And you still refused to eat. You gave the vet 14 stitches on his neck. WHAT WERE WE GOING TO DO WITH YOU?
The vet answered that question for us. "Gary, this cat has bonded with you. If you want him to live, you have to take him home."
So we did.
This picture makes us cry every time. This is what you looked like your first day home:
The other kitties came over to sniff you - and that was it. There were no integration problems, no fighting - and you recovered - and went on to be our most loving, our most affectionate, our most beautiful baby boy.
Then 1 year later, you got REALLY sick. If you weren't with us, again, you would be dead.
It wasn't officially Feline Hemolitic Anemia, but you fought hard with us over these past four years. We'll never forget when the vet said "I'm out of bullets." You weren't in pain, but you had almost no red blood cells. Tuxedo - we moved out of the RV and into a house just 10 minutes from the vet for you! (We were there every day for months - and there at least weekly for years). You never complained, or we wouldn't have put you through it. And just last week, your vet declared you "officially out of the woods." Tuxedo, there just weren't bigger smiles EVER!
Today is the official celebration of your 6th year "Gotcha Day." You are seven years old now, like your brothers and sisters (born sometime around now-ish in 2002), but it took that year to get you inside with us.
Tuxedo, we love you!
Laurie & Gary (who officially contributed to the writing of this post!)
You TOTALLY disrupted the feral colony, you sent two kitties to the hospital! YOU WERE "UNADOPTABLE." !!!!
It broke our hearts to adopt - or adopt out - your brothers and sister but not you.
But we were determined to take care of you - and you filled out so nicely for winter!
...and then in December, you headbumped Gary, and everything changed. You became his purr baby boy. What to do? It dropped below zero for several weeks - and every time we opened the door, you would come running. Of course you refused to live in the warm shelter we provided, you crazy cat. So we found a boarding facility that would take you. *phew* You were in from the cold. But every time we visited, it got harder and harder to leave.
...and then you got sick. A UTI. The boarding facility called and said, "I think there's something wrong with your cat." (He hadn't eaten for three days - thank GOD he wasn't blocked for that long or he would be dead! Poor baby was soooooo sick). We whisked you off to the hospital.
And you still refused to eat. You gave the vet 14 stitches on his neck. WHAT WERE WE GOING TO DO WITH YOU?
The vet answered that question for us. "Gary, this cat has bonded with you. If you want him to live, you have to take him home."
So we did.
This picture makes us cry every time. This is what you looked like your first day home:
The other kitties came over to sniff you - and that was it. There were no integration problems, no fighting - and you recovered - and went on to be our most loving, our most affectionate, our most beautiful baby boy.
Then 1 year later, you got REALLY sick. If you weren't with us, again, you would be dead.
Today is the official celebration of your 6th year "Gotcha Day." You are seven years old now, like your brothers and sisters (born sometime around now-ish in 2002), but it took that year to get you inside with us.
Tuxedo, we love you!
Laurie & Gary (who officially contributed to the writing of this post!)