From commentor Rebmarks:
15 years ago I went to the MSPCA at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in JP, Massachusetts, looking for a small, female-but-fixed, quiet, short-haired cat. I came out with an 18-month old giant male shaggy-haired, full of mats, LOUD un-fixed Male Coon Cat. As I was passing by the cages, he looked at me with those human-like eyes,and meowed pitifully.. he was talking to me! I kept coming back to him, even as I was thinking how much more suitable several other cats would be.
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They took him out of the cage and put him in my lap and he nuzzled and head-butted me and purred, and I succumbed…. Within 2 days he had scattered those mats around the apartment and was beautifully clean with gleaming white fur, which smells like baby powder when you bury your nose in it (how does he DO that??)
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But the talking? Boo meowed, and yowled and cried and moaned, and roamed the apartment by night, howling down the echoing stairwell, and generally acting as if he had lost his family in a catastrophe. And he probably had. I would call him, and he would run to me, jump on my bed, nuzzle and purr and then after 10 minutes jump off the bed and begin crying again. After two weeks of sleep deprivation, I was tearing my own hair out and ready to throw him out a window and into the traffic of our busy street. I didn’t do it, although I was sorely tempted. But I believe that once you adopt, whether it’s a child or an animal, you don’t give it back. You have to deal with what you have and make things better.
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So I called the vet and she suggested I call an animal psychologist. I couldn’t believe that I was even contemplating calling an animal psychologist! But I did it and she provided a miracle cure – on the phone, without even charging me. I don’t suggest that anyone else try this without consulting a vet, but she told me to give him 1/4 of a Benadryl pill every night for 2 weeks. Which I did. For the first few nights, I kept waking up and poking him because he was so quiet sleeping on my bed that I was afraid he was dead. After that, he stopped crying at night. He would meow during the day, but at least we could sleep at night. Early in the morning he sits by my face, quiet as a mouse, fixes his eyes on me, and if I open one eyelid a crack, he’ll meow for breakfast. Eventually I got a kitten to keep him company during the day, which helped tremendously too – Max and Boo still sleep together on the back of the couch during the day.
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Boo is now almost 17 years old. He is old and rickety, and had a stroke, and is now on high blood pressure pills. We’ve had to put a bench at the end of the bed to help him get off the bed without falling on his face. But he is still the most loving, amazing and human-like cat I have ever had – even my husband of 5 years claims cannot live without Boo now, and he would sue for custody if we ever divorce.
asiangrrlMN
Aw, that’s such a sweet story. Boo is a gorgeous boy, and I am so glad things worked out. How nice of him to pick you as his human! Keep posting the rescue stories, AL. They always bring a smile to my face (even if they bring a tear to my eyes).
Yutsano
Awww KITTEH!!
I think I’m about ready to pass out. Hopefully I can keep a semi-decent schedule to Seattle tomorrow but I guess we’ll see what happens.
SiubhanDuinne
That is a sweet cat and a lovely story. My cousins have an 18-year-old cat who also howls loudly and pitifully through much of the night, and I’m always taken by surprise when I visit — it sounds like she’s being tormented by the Hounds of Hell.
When I saw the thread title, before opening it, I thought maybe you were referring to Bob Herbert’s beautiful and touching column in today’s NYT. Sorry can’t link but well worth a read at the opinion pages of http://www.nytimes.com — it’s called “A Hero Named Bobby.”
Chris
The effect of benadryl (or indeed pretty much any sedative, whether anti-histamine or not) on a cat is difficult to predict. Valium often makes cats hungry—in fact it is sometimes used specifically for appetite issues—and sometimes makes them hyper rather than sleepy.
Howling can be tricky. Some cats just want to make sure you’re still there, and some apparently want to hear the sound of their own voice. :-) In general, medical issues need to be ruled out first, after which there are a number of things to try.
Keith G
Great story. Brava.
Mary G
My kitty goes to the other end of the house at night and talks to herself very loudly, not moaning, crying or yowling, just chatting with herself at the top of her lungs. If we come in there, she shuts up and starts purring. I taped it and asked the vet if it was okay and laughed and said some cats just like to hear the sound of their own voice.
2th&nayle
Great story! Beautiful kitty!
Rosalita
oh what a beautiful baby and a great story! thanks AL for these happy posts first thing in the morning!
ChrisS
Gorgeous cat and a wonderful story. I’ve always had pets growing up, but once I moved out of my parents, nearly 20 years ago, I never had a pet again … until I met my girlfriend who moved in with her two cats and with Amiya in particular, it’s been a whole lot of love ever since. When we joke around about breaking up, I tell her to her pack things and take her cat. She responds, cats. And now we’ve got the dog.
When we go to bed at night, Amiya will sometimes patrol the house until the lights go out and after about 5 minutes, we sometimes hear a mournful, sad meowing. Usually she had her stuffed hamster or worm in her mouth while she was trying to meow. I’ll snap my fingers and she comes and jumps on the bed and snuggle in close and purr for about 5 or 10 minutes and then she’ll be off again, but no more meowing.
snarkypsice
Oh what gorgeous eyes! I can see why resistance was futile.
BGK
I don’t want to bring the thread down, but there’s no one else here at work yet and I’ve got to share with someone.
There’s a stray tabby we see from time to time in our parking lot. He (?) was sitting in my usual parking space when I came in this morning, and it looked like he was sitting on a rat, or other small animal. When I got a little closer, he moved, and I saw it was actually the end of his tail. The midsection of his tail looks like it was run over or otherwise badly damaged. It looks like it’s just hanging on by the bone. I couldn’t get close enough to see, as he moved away pretty quickly.
This is kind of tearing me up. I’m sure it’s painful, and it will probably become badly infected and kill him. I want nothing more than to run home and hug all my cats, especially my Maine Coon cat-monster Rizzo.
WereBear
@BGK: Can you call animal control to trap him for treatment? That’s what we can do in our town.
JCT
Great tale and great puss. Such a handsome guy. Amazing how different all these animals are in temperament.
I love when animals pick their owners — my husband is sitting across from me holding Mango the McDonald’s parking lot rescue kitty – a beautiful orange tabby. Husband found him as a starving tiny puss running up to random people in the parking lot and meowing piteously. Said he saw a woman pick him up, cuddle him – show him to her companion then place him back down in the middle of the parking lot. Duh. He ran to keep him from becoming road kill and made that fateful call home:
“I found a starving kitty, we can’t have another cat, I’m bringing him home to give to our neighbor (WTF?), we can’t have another cat….he’s going to get run over, but look, I’m not kidding, no more animals”
And I’m looking at the puss, 4 years later,he has abandoned my husband’s arms to curl up with his best friend (the younger beagle) on the couch. I occasionally find them spooning, hilarious.
I have a completely crazy job, I have no idea in the world what I would do without these pets. Many more BP meds no doubt.
WereBear
I love Maine Coons. They have personalities as big as their bodies.
He had lost his whole family in a catastrophe. He was mourning. Just like people, some kind of mood changer can help them get through it.
I’ve used chamomile on our kitten, who has anxiety issues and throws up.
BGK
@WereBear: Last I heard, unless the animal is dangerous, our county animal services will loan me a trap, but it would be up to me to bait it and recover it. I’ll have to call them when they open. I’m not going to bad mouth them, as four of my five cats came from there and are the best cats in the world.
Happier subject:
Rizzo the Maine Coon fuzzy bear.
Sophia, world’s sweetest cat and insatiable chowhound.
WereBear
@BGK: Gotcha. I’ve had my best luck with tuna & water; they have a hard time getting good water when they are strays.
RedKitten
Those eyes! What a magnificent beastie he is.
And I agree — the pets that pick you tend to become the best pets. My childhood kitty actually jumped into our car one rainy Thursday. Skinny and soaking wet, only the hardest of hearts would have been able to turn him away. And my mom has the heart of a toasted marshmallow when it comes to animals. We had 13 great years with him, and he was definitely the ne plus ultra of cats.
ellie
I have two Maine Coons, who are brothers, along with two normal-sized cats and a dog. It’s like having three dogs and two cats, the Maine Coons are so big. They are the nicest cats in the world, full of opinions and soft, fluffy fur. Every once in a while, the bigger (named Riley) of the two will howl the mournful cry of the Riley and I will have to show myself so he knows he isn’t alone and he will stop.
PIGL
Thanks to Rembarks for writing and to you for posting this. Just when I’m plotting the destruction of the entire human species, something like this comes along to improve the day.
Hillary Rettig
acerbic political commentary + rescue animal stories = win
>>>Early in the morning he sits by my face, quiet as a mouse, fixes his eyes on me, and if I open one eyelid a crack, he’ll meow for breakfast.
one of our dogs does exactly that, except if you crack the eyelid you get licked until you submit.
here is my story about how I title=””>rescued a rescuer.
inthewoods
Grew up with a Maine coon cat – best cats in the world in my opinion. So friendly. More friendly than my two doxies right now.
Had to put him down because of leukemia – first pet loss as well. Great story – made me think the world was right while I was reading it.
Svensker
Those eyes are amazing. He is a furry person.
Carnacki
What a handsome gentlecat.
WereBear
@Hillary Rettig: That’s an extraordinary story. Blessings on you!
While I have one bad kidney already, I do have a lot of bone marrow. This nudges me; I’ve been intending to sign up for testing.
Hillary Rettig
Cute Overload has video from Danish bunny agility trials. i had no idea they (the rabbits, not the Danes) were so trainable, and some of the hops are amazing.
ps – posted this both because it’s interesting, and to prove i know how to use the link function, at least after having had some coffee.
Trinity
Fantastic story. Made my morning brighter. Thanks!
ruemara
Great story and that is one big fluffy cute kitty. Sounds like my Takkun, only with more noise.
@Chris:
Got anymore ideas? I’m stilling struggling with my overly vocal senior cat on hyperthyroid meds who thinks screaming is communicating and will beg for more food (via screaming at you) as he licks his chops from eating from the full bowl of food you just put down. We’re torn between love and throttling.
Mnemosyne
@BGK:
When you get the trap, ask if they can recommend any vets — sometimes they will have specific vets that they work with who will do work for reduced rates on rescued animals. Your regular vet might give you a break, too — it’s worth asking, at least.
Winston Smith
I don’t think you have a Maine Coon. I think you have a Turkish Van. It would be a common mistake. Vans are large, long-haired, smart and relatively unknown. They’re a naturally-occurring breed, so once their DNA gets into the gene pool, it tends to dominate. It’s unlikely that Boo is a pure Van, and might be a Van-Coon mix, which would be super-awesome.
They are often cited as “the cat for dog lovers,” because of their loyalty and affection. The wild Turkish Vans swim in Lake Van in the hot summer, so they are also called “swimming cats.” If he seems fascinated by water, that would nail it.
Vans are awesome. I got one whose mom gave birth to him in a pile of bark chips in a Lowes Garden Center. I thought he might be part Maine Coon until my wife Googled “cat likes water toilet.” There on the Wikipedia page was a picture of our water-obsessed cat.
Mnemosyne
@Mnemosyne:
Also, they now have a super-awesome long-lasting antibiotic shot that they can give the cat so no one has to try and pill him. It lasts for 10 days, which hopefully would knock out any infection.
Scuffletuffle
@BGK: Definitely let someone know. If he can be trapped and the tail amputated, he’ll have a chance at a much better life.
BGK
Well, animal services did come out. They will come for a sick or injured animal. The animal control officer looked in all the bushes and greenery around the building for a good 20 minutes, with no luck. He said if I saw the cat again, to call again. He said they’re low on traps right now because their TNR program is going full tilt. We’d also need to get the landlord’s permission for them to set a trap, but we’re on good terms and that won’t be a problem.
asiangrrlMN
@BGK: Your cats are gorgeous! I’m glad that animal control is willing to help you help the stray kitty. Good luck.
Elie
My old guy, Bill is 18+ and also gets the screamies in the wee hours of the morning… his cries can be literally hair raising. I read somewhere that senior cats do that sometimes..
Bill is also rickety and I have him on glucosamine and chondroitin. He still has a great appetite and loves being held and brushed gently. I still take him for small walks outside a couple of times a week and he seems to enjoy it.
I love him dearly. Its a great thing to bear witness to his aging — smoothing and brushing his fur which he has a little trouble maintaining, picking up his occassional hard poop balls that end up other places than the litter box but are thankfully easy to find and throw away. He still plays with our other cat and stands up for himself during the snack wars.
If he seems to become more withdrawn, or appear to suffer from his arthritis to the point that he does not seem able to cope, I will act to make him at peace. I am hoping that won’t be for a while…
Mnemosyne
@WereBear:
Can you explain more? Keaton is also very anxious (you would be, too, if you were in charge of a household of three cats and two hairless monkeys) and prone to throwing up, and we’re pretty much at our wit’s end. Particularly since he refuses to eat any hairball remedy, and we’re pretty sure hairballs are usually the root of the problem since he thinks it’s his job to keep both of his sisters perfectly groomed, too.
LiberalTarian
Beautiful story.
Winston Smith
@efgoldman: Excellent! (Depressing, but excellent)
Amber
I have a Maine Coon and he talks constantly. All the time. Not always whining–though sometimes–but he has a million different tones of voice and we always know exactly what he wants, or doesn’t.
Is that something particular to Maine Coons? Are they all talkative? My husband and I have both had lots of other cats through the years and never one so chatty and expressive. People cannot believe my cat when they hear him–they’ve never heard a cat so loud before. (The Benedryl is a great tip–I may have to try that for car trips when my husband and I generally lose our sanity because of his meowing.)
MattR
@Hillary Rettig: Wow. I hope you are doing well and haven’t had to deal with any side effects. You may think of it as an inconvenience, but it is truly an amazing act. Thank you for doing something so selfless (I say this as someone whose father received a kidney transplant 14 years ago and who will likely need one of his own in the future.)
rebmarks
So nice to hear that so many of you think he is a beautiful boy too…. :) Forgot to say that the pic is actually quite recent. A couple of other things he does that make me quite wobbly at the knees — if you sit in a chair with a hand dangling down, he’ll actually reach up, wrap both front paws gently around your hand and put it on his head to pat him. And in the morning, if I don’t open my eyes at his appointed breakfast time, he’ll actually pat my cheek very carefully with one of those big fluffy paws until I do.
fiona
Lovely, both kitty and the story, as in an earlier post, I had the same with my hubby, oh, ok if YOU want a cat, one look into that kittens eyes and he was her ever obedient slave, and even to this day 8 years later, she was one of HIS good ideas.
mem from somerville
Awww….I got a very sweet Maine Coon from the Angell too! She was estimated to be about 3, but we don’t really know. She was found matted and wandering the streets of Dawchestah.
I call her the cream puff of lurve…. She is a little vocal when I have been away, but it calms back down in a few days. She’s sitting all over the ottoman right now–not understanding it’s primarily for human feet for some reason.
Darkrose
I adore Maine Coons. I miss Joxur every day, the big dumb furball.
Delia
I had a Maine Coon once. He was the Best Cat In The World. He was our cat when the kids were growing up. We lived in a condo development at first where cats were supposed to stay indoors. His goal in life was to sit outside under the bushes. He’d wait by front door until I was coming in loaded down with babies and groceries and then slip out, coming back in when he was good and ready. Later when the kids were older if we were playing cards or something he’d come sit in the middle of the game. He died of kidney disease when he was sixteen. That was about fifteen years ago. I’ve had several other cats since then, but he’ll always be special to me.
Collin
I don’t even like cats, I truly can not believe I got sucked into to this story about Boo. However, I can relate. All my life I hated dogs with a passion!! One day when I was in High School, I came home from football practice and my parents had a dog running around the house, A little Yorki named Mali Puppygirl! I told my parents get rid of the dog or else I’m moving out, they didn’t and needless to say Mali Puppygirl is one of my best friends to this day!! It is truly amazing the effects animals can have on people.