From commentor Shaun:
A WEAKLING, A WALK-ON & A DRIVE-BY
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We’ve always had rescue kitties, from the pound when I was a youngster and a series of walk-ons in later years, more recently at the Dear Friend & Conscience’s home in the mountains.
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Kimba wasn’t actually a walk on because he was too weak at even six weeks or so to do much beyond standing up. His feral mother was trying to keep him alive in the woods behind the house and when she deposited him under the deck, the DF&C snatched him. His one blue and one golden eye were glued shut because of a discharge. He was riddled with fleas, was all skin and bones and not long for the world. Today Kimba is going on eight years old. He’s a couple cards short of a full deck, probably as a result of his mother’s parlous health when he was in utero, but he’s a love bug…
And knows an underdog, er . . . undercat when he sees one. Kimba seldom has anything to say, but he started making a fuss late at night the winter before last. The wind chill was below zero the night the DF&C saw a very beautiful but very emaciated gray tabby just out of kittenhood looking in at Kimba through glass the sliders. We began leaving food and water for him and after a couple of weeks lured him into a Havaheart trap and whisked him off to the vet’s, where he was shotted, dipped and snipped. Today Taj (middle photo) is about two and a half. His fat pads have grown back in and he’s got a linebacker’s build, but the most delicate little meow.
Iggie actually was a drive-by. An elderly gent who lives in the area and leaves food for feral cats in old barns and such said that Iggie, who obviously has Maine coon cat blood, kept showing up behind his house. His wife threatened to divorce him if he took in yet another cat, so Leon remains happily married and Iggie, who was about nine months old when he was adopted and is probably a year and a half old now, is happily part of our brood. His crazed look and slightly crossed eyes notwithstanding, he is among the most intelligent cats that I’ve ever been around. How intelligent? Well, he caught a field mouse out in the garage the other day, bit off its head and deposited the carcass in our recycling box.
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A few words of advice for anyone contemplating getting a rescue kitty, especially one who has been in the wild. All of ours spend their first few weeks under “house arrest” in a basement powder room with a couple of stacked window screens blocking the doorway. This way they can become acclimated to the sounds, smells and routines of the house, as well as get to know the other kitties. Oh, and no matter the circumstances of each of our kitties, you’d better believe that they found us and not the other way around.
Lysana
A fine trio of felines indeed, and good on you for taking them in. I like that advice on the acclimation, too.
asiangrrlMN
Aw, the Three Amigos are all handsome boys. I’m glad to see them all in fine fettle.
SiubhanDuinne
Wonderful cats! This is a good thing — no, *three* good things — you’ve done. As always, rescue stories are just a great way to start the day.
O/T, did you see that AOL has bought HuffPo for $315 million? I used to read it regularly: it was my go-to blog for intelligent progressive posts and discussions (I know, hard to believe now) and as a news aggregator was a wonderful alternative to Drudge. But HuffPo has spiraled so far down into a murky cloaca of celebrity news, “both sides do it” equivalency, and tabloid trash commentary, that I rarely visit any more. If there are any useful nuggets to be found over there, they’re not worth seeking through the sewage and swill. But it will be interesting to see if, and how, things change once it becomes part of the AOL machine.
Luci
Seldom have I see a bunch of lovelier cats, and your generous and loving behavior at taking them in warms my heart and soul. I LOVE those big cats with tiny voices. heehee! They’re so cute, and I guess the dumb ones need love too. I certainly have a couple, and sometimes it’s a relief to deal with a simple cat, not a wily one who can outsmart me.
To address the discussion about why exactly many of us tolerate cats who take over the bed and disturb our sleep, I can only say that the benefits outweigh the down sides, and the idea of putting them away from where I am is sad to me and I assume to them. We tolerate spouses who toss and turn and snore and all that, so I guess I figure pets deserve the same. Besides… my sister has about five bigger dogs who invade her bed regularly, and I figure I’m getting off easy. ;)
Sko Hayes
@SiubhanDuinne: Oh, yes, the righties on Twitter are moaning and groaning about the AOL HuffPo merger:
SiubhanDuinne
@Sko Hayes: I think it’s funny that the Twitterverse thinks HuffPo is all lefty and stuff. And that their lefty cooties are rubbing off on AOL.
mai naem
Mapquest is left wing? Do they give scenic route directions using WPA built highways?
And Pop Eater? I thought Pop Eater was a People Magazine kind of celebrity gossip site?
Benjamin Cisco
@mai naem: Haters gotta hate.
JPL
@Sko Hayes:
If MapQuest is left won’t I get lost?
Shaun, You did a good thing.
Jane2
What handsome boys!
Phyllis
Topic: Kittehs! Kitties find us because that’s what’s supposed to happen.
Open threadiness: Can’t help but scream ‘white people’s problem’ at the twits (especially the woman crying as if her dog died or her house burned down)just featured on CBS Early Show because they didn’t get seats at the game.
different church-lady
MONORAIL CAT
IS RUNNING BEHIND SCHEDULE
debit
What handsome boys!
Svensker
Er, does Kimba frequently sleep on the rails?
Wonderful stuff.
shaun
Svensker:
Only when the coal stove is kicking.
Origuy
Companions in Waiting is an organization based in San Mateo, California that works to get adoptable animals matched up with homes. Its founder, Jo Hamilton, was recently honored by KCBS in San Francisco with the Jefferson Award, given to area people who do good things in the community. She’s also my first Scottish Dance teacher and a really nice person.
JR in WV (er, AZ today)
We lived at the end of the pavement as a kid, and my Dad wrote a column for the local paper too. So a LOT of hard-hearted folks dropped their disposable pets off near our house.
Usually we found them homes in the extended family (both Uncles’ etc…) but when necessary, Dad would put in a paragraph at the end of his column (mostly local current events and politics) he would put in a pitch for the latest waif looking for a steady gig making people happy.
Now we live in the country, and still have pseudo-people dropping off fuzzy people… We almost hates them for being so cruel!!
Everybody, keep helping the kitties and puppies help us!
JR
shortstop
That’s a very funny photo.
trollhattan
@different church-lady:
Not sure which I love more, the pic or this comment. Double Win!
What cat does that?
JustPeachyAndYou
@shaun: What a wonderful trio of monsters to have taken over your house, comfy furniture, and lives. I like the screen idea of keeping new cats separate but able to see one another to become accustomed to the new environment. I’ll suggest it to Mr. JustPeachy the next time the cat gods see fit to bring us a new beastie.
parsimon
Kimba, if I read the post correctly and he’s the white cat sprawled on the wooden framework, is my kind of cat. Beautiful. Congratulations.