First, thanks for all the wonderful stories. I'm really enjoying reading them.
Casper, our bi-color white/ginger tabby boy (not sure exactly what you would categorize him as) is second hand. He came to us through one of my good friends, who had him since he was a kitten. My friend is a photographer, and I had seen photos of Casper which was so charming, plus, I'm am sure I had met him at least a few times over the years, but didn't quite remember. When he was around 9-1/2 years old, my friend found himself in a relationship with someone who could not manage to fit Casper into their household, in spite of the fact that her dog was there, and several of her kids as well. His son was there too but poor Casper, after being in the house with them for some time, just "wasn't working out" as far as she was concerned. Since they were on the verge of marrying he had put his house up for sale in NJ (they were living in NYC) and Casper, was sent back to the house pretty much to spend his time alone indoors and out. Neighbors looked in on him, and my friend would come back on weekends to make sure all was ok.
It finally got to a point where he realized this was too much running around, and he knew my partner and I had been contemplating getting a cat. Tom, my BF, always had kitties his whole life. However, it took literally months before he finally was able to let go being as he was so attached to the cat. He had him, I believe, even before his first marriage and Casper had been his best buddy, consoling him through many of life's ups and downs. So, after assuring us of how fantastic he was, and how he wouldn't even think of rehoming him if he wasn't such a great cat, he came to our house one cold winter day with Casper in his arms, and just put him on our living room floor while we hung out and chatted. No litter box came with him, no toys. He did bring his favorite blankie and some food.
Well, Casper made himself right at home. I think he understood somehow what was going on. He started to check out the house, but it was with not once ounce of trepidation or concern. Within several minutes, he was back with us, calmly situated and purring. My friend stayed for about an hour or so, and finally left Casper with us.
Honestly, we had no issues at all with him. We liked him, and he liked us. We didn't even worry about him being an older cat at all. He especially bonded with my BF since he was out of work, home and maybe because he was used to being around a male presence. Casper is now 12 years old. My friend, never married that woman, and has regrets I'm sure about giving his beloved cat up. But honestly, he couldn't have found better adoptive parents. We adore him.
Cocoabean, our long haired tortoiseshell, is surely second hand. We got her last December from one of the local rescue organizations. She was found right after Hurricane Sandy, in a neighboring town. She was extremely friendly, had no fear of people handling her, although she was being abused by children on the street from what I understand so she was somewhat timid at first and to this day, when new people come in she has a bit of trepidation but usually it passes (although, of the two, other than that, she is far more adaptable to her environment being changed - probably because of her prior circumstances). She had to have been someone's pet that either got out, or was put out because she loves being groomed, never claws or uses her mouth on people, loves belly rubs and allows you to touch every part of her body easily. She is just so well socialized it is hard to believe that she was living outdoors for any period of time. We have no idea how old she is; the vet guessed between 3-5 years old but we suspect she is younger based on her energy level and the fact that she seems to have grown quite a bit in the 10 months since we've had her. She is the clown of the two, so delightful to watch, and has blossomed under our care into a confident, happy and healthy kitty. We obviously adore her as well.
We're lucky that they wound up liking each other. I followed every single piece of advice given to me here and by a good friend who has several cats, and many through the years. Everyone was very helpful about introductions and it worked. Cocoa has been a great addition for all of us, giving Casper some much needed feline companionship as it turns out, and keeping him on his toes too. And she is a "cats cat", one who likes other kitties a lot, she wouldn't have been happy, I think, being a solo cat.
Here's a recent photo of both together. Please ignore the tuft of fur on the floor. They had just been play fighting lol. Then gave me their best, "what us?" looks, and lay down in identical poses
Casper, our bi-color white/ginger tabby boy (not sure exactly what you would categorize him as) is second hand. He came to us through one of my good friends, who had him since he was a kitten. My friend is a photographer, and I had seen photos of Casper which was so charming, plus, I'm am sure I had met him at least a few times over the years, but didn't quite remember. When he was around 9-1/2 years old, my friend found himself in a relationship with someone who could not manage to fit Casper into their household, in spite of the fact that her dog was there, and several of her kids as well. His son was there too but poor Casper, after being in the house with them for some time, just "wasn't working out" as far as she was concerned. Since they were on the verge of marrying he had put his house up for sale in NJ (they were living in NYC) and Casper, was sent back to the house pretty much to spend his time alone indoors and out. Neighbors looked in on him, and my friend would come back on weekends to make sure all was ok.
It finally got to a point where he realized this was too much running around, and he knew my partner and I had been contemplating getting a cat. Tom, my BF, always had kitties his whole life. However, it took literally months before he finally was able to let go being as he was so attached to the cat. He had him, I believe, even before his first marriage and Casper had been his best buddy, consoling him through many of life's ups and downs. So, after assuring us of how fantastic he was, and how he wouldn't even think of rehoming him if he wasn't such a great cat, he came to our house one cold winter day with Casper in his arms, and just put him on our living room floor while we hung out and chatted. No litter box came with him, no toys. He did bring his favorite blankie and some food.
Well, Casper made himself right at home. I think he understood somehow what was going on. He started to check out the house, but it was with not once ounce of trepidation or concern. Within several minutes, he was back with us, calmly situated and purring. My friend stayed for about an hour or so, and finally left Casper with us.
Honestly, we had no issues at all with him. We liked him, and he liked us. We didn't even worry about him being an older cat at all. He especially bonded with my BF since he was out of work, home and maybe because he was used to being around a male presence. Casper is now 12 years old. My friend, never married that woman, and has regrets I'm sure about giving his beloved cat up. But honestly, he couldn't have found better adoptive parents. We adore him.
Cocoabean, our long haired tortoiseshell, is surely second hand. We got her last December from one of the local rescue organizations. She was found right after Hurricane Sandy, in a neighboring town. She was extremely friendly, had no fear of people handling her, although she was being abused by children on the street from what I understand so she was somewhat timid at first and to this day, when new people come in she has a bit of trepidation but usually it passes (although, of the two, other than that, she is far more adaptable to her environment being changed - probably because of her prior circumstances). She had to have been someone's pet that either got out, or was put out because she loves being groomed, never claws or uses her mouth on people, loves belly rubs and allows you to touch every part of her body easily. She is just so well socialized it is hard to believe that she was living outdoors for any period of time. We have no idea how old she is; the vet guessed between 3-5 years old but we suspect she is younger based on her energy level and the fact that she seems to have grown quite a bit in the 10 months since we've had her. She is the clown of the two, so delightful to watch, and has blossomed under our care into a confident, happy and healthy kitty. We obviously adore her as well.
We're lucky that they wound up liking each other. I followed every single piece of advice given to me here and by a good friend who has several cats, and many through the years. Everyone was very helpful about introductions and it worked. Cocoa has been a great addition for all of us, giving Casper some much needed feline companionship as it turns out, and keeping him on his toes too. And she is a "cats cat", one who likes other kitties a lot, she wouldn't have been happy, I think, being a solo cat.
Here's a recent photo of both together. Please ignore the tuft of fur on the floor. They had just been play fighting lol. Then gave me their best, "what us?" looks, and lay down in identical poses
