Pet Stories—Or, how you and your pet came together

After reading a very heartfelt reply by BFFT in another thread about his beloved rescue dog (which is a truly amazing account), I was reminded of my own (late) pets, and wanted to share a couple of stories.

I encourage others to share their own stories about their pets, especially how they came together.

Toby



The first was about 12 years ago, when I was working at a job site restoring (at this point painting) an historic home. One afternoon while on the ladder, I see a tiny head poke out from the crawlspace, meekly meowing. As I called to it while climbing down, it disappeared under the house. After seeing several more times over the course of several days, including attempts to coax it closer, it would never approach. Later, one day, I went to the deli for lunch, and left with a half-eaten chicken sandwich, which I left in the car as I went back to work.

A coupe of hours later, I went back to my car for some reason and noticed a movement inside. I walked closer and saw that there was this tiny gray and white kitten crouching in the upper backseat corner, terrified. Noticing that the window was halfway down, and I had left the sandwich box—which had signs of being clawed open—inside, I realized what had happened.

So I took him home, and, as I was driving home a name just popped into my head: Toby. He lived for 12 amazing years. Although I sometimes think he might be the cause of a previous, older cat's depression and ultimate passing, there's no telling what would have happened to Toby underneath that house if he not gotten trapped in my car because of a half-chicken sandwich, and I never had never taken him home. He definitely would not have had such a spoiled and amazing life otherwise.


Miss you, buddy.

Oscar


One summer evening I was sitting on the porch with a cocktail, relaxing to nature's tranquility with some music and the sound of the birds. Toby was outside, laying in the sun, when all of a sudden he jumped up and ran after something. It was another cat, a male cat. They tussled a bit until I ran over and pulled them apart, tufts of fur flying, and put Toby inside. For some reason, the other cat was not afraid of anything, he just sat there looking at me like an idiot, and he keep hanging around.

I immediately noticed something strange about him and took a liking to him. The next day or so, I knelt down and started petting him. He jumped onto my knee, and would not stop purring. So I kept him.

He was a weird one. First, he was mute. All he did was purr and purr, but never meowed or hissed—ever. He would try to meow, but only a squeak would come out. Even on the few occasions I accidentally stepped on his tail or foot (hard), no sound. Nothing. He was never aggressive in any way, not even playfully. Every day I came home from work, he was there to greet me just like a dog. He would brush against my leg then just sit there and look up at me like a child. As soon I sit down, he was in my lap. Every single time. If he was in another chair when I sat down, he would immediately get down and come get in my lap.

I'm not sure what kind of life he had before he wandered on my property (or escaped from somewhere else), but he was one of the most lovable and appreciative furballs I ever had.

And I miss him dearly.

That was beautiful. The best kind of assurance you two were made for each other.

I've befriended cats a couple times during my outdoors phases. They were feral, come arond because they smell food, but stay because of companionship. One cat under the bridge got named Cujo. Kept the mouse population down, another was a wild one only seen on the perimeter, ate leftover chicken.

On cold nights Cujo would jump into your sleeping bag for warmth. One night he brought a half dead mouse into my sleeping bag. it was a gift, the highest form of respect a predator can give to its pack mates.

After El Nino, when the City cleaned out the 'homeless' under the bridge, I lost track of him.

Didn't mew either. I knew a neighbor that got a rescue that was living wild, it also was silent.

They know its not wise to sing in the Wild, too many aggressive Toms out there in Feral land.

a reply to: Liquesence

I found our cat Mittens as a lost, way too little, kitten to be by himself. I cornered him and he proceeded to bite my hand with his little kitten teeth till I bled. My hand swelled to twice it's size almost and burned for a day. I'm still amazed that a kitten could cause that much harm.

Don't regret it at all. He's the best pet you could hope for.

My mother was in a bad way mentally after the death of her mom followed quickly by the sudden death of her significant other. She was living with me at the time and I thought a kitten would help her with grieving. My then-spouse picked out a kitten at the pound. While never meant for me the cat took to me instantly. Since then my mother moved out (but didn't take the cat), a few years later she passed away; then I got divorced, moved states, and have gotten married again. The cat is now 18 and has been by my side the whole way, in fact he's right here this moment. He is my perpetual toddler; a gift and curse to someone with no desire for biological children.

a reply to: Liquesence

Mia is a runty little snowshoe siamese who someone abandoned in a shopping mall parking area.
She and another little one were playing and running around in the bushes in the parking lot but we're dangerously close to the road.
My husband saw them and parked his car to see if he could rescue them. He caught her and she set her teeth and claws right into his hands.
He put her in the car and went back for the other one but he couldn't find him. When he got home he couldn't find her in the car. She had climbed up into the glove box from behind and fallen asleep.
This time he got gloves before he picked her up. She spat and hissed and bit. He got her into the house and put her in a box. When I got home from work he showed her to me and said be very careful she's very wild.

Less than five minutes later I walked into the living room with her in my hands just purring away. She cries for me when I'm not home. I've been told. I'm her mama. I have a furry bathrobe that she sucks on but only if I'm wearing it. If it's on the bad she lays on it.
I say runty because she's tiny. You would think she's a six month old kitten but I've had her for four years . She's adorable with crossed blue eyes. Crossed eyes is a trait of Siamese cats. And two little white spots on her face that are unevenly located and makes her look like she's smiling.
Siamese are very friendly very vocal and very smart. She's my little girl.

a reply to: Liquesence

A colleague asked the team if anyone wanted a kitten. Her mother had taken in an injured cat that walked past her block of flats after feeling sorry for it. It was winter. She nursed it back to health only to discover that the cat was pregnant.

I'd only been in the Netherlands a couple of years since moving from England and leaving my cat there with relatives. My cat in England left the relatives of her own accord. She was well cared for but I guess she found somewhere else she liked better. She did go back to visit them after a month or two, but left again. I was gutted because it was my intention to bring her here once we had our own place that was suitable for pets.

Anyway, me and Dad go the colleagues mothers' place after work and there are 4 kittens in a box with blankets and Mummy cat. My dad had also been instructed to get one for his wife. I looked at them and saw which one I was going to be a slave to for the rest of her life, immediately. She was the only black one. I called her Midnight. When she was a kitten she had tiger markings in a lighter shade of black but that disappeared as she got older.

We came to share 18 and a half funny, cranky and neurotic years together. She was a real character but timid and untrusting of strangers at first. She also would bite you if you stroked her long enough. My ex-girlfriend used to scold me for being bitten. "Well don't stroke her so much then." LOL

a reply to: Liquesence

He's beautiful.
I don't know how to import photos.

a reply to: intrptr

I still have no idea why Oscar was mute. He didn't act or seem feral at all, didn't run from people/wasn't skittish, didn't cower for any reason. He definitely tried to meow, but barely anything would come out. He wasn't emaciated in any way, and I think he might have been abused.

It's funny how cats love to bring you their 'gift.' They want you to see or have them, lol, a headless mouse or squirrel.

That's a shame you lost track of Cujo, but I guess you two were similar creatures just doing what you could to survive at similar points in life, and happened to find common ground and reciprocity. Sucks you couldn't find him and take him with you. I guess in instances like that animals are a rare comfort and make things easier to handle.

You relationship with him reminds me of another cat we had, Ms. Doobie. Given to us as a kitten by an uncle, she was a long haired beauty but hated my dad. After we moved she stayed inside for a while but started pissing on things, more specifically my dad's stuff. The final straw was when she soiled his leather jacket. She went outside and never came back in. That's when she started becoming feral. She would not approach anyone of us for petting or anything, and grew even more distant, just coming around to eat.

After a few years I tried to befriend her, and it took months for her to trust me and start petting her. She was still apprehensive about coming close, even after that. Eventually we ended up moving again, and after several loads of our personal items, as I was about to leave the house the last time, I couldn't leave without her. I spent hours looking for her. Finally, I found her, and after coaxing her snatched her and put her in the truck.

At the next home, she wouldn't let me out of her sight. Eventually, I let her inside, and that was that.

a reply to: intrptr

I had a feral. He was quiet but not silent. William was his name. He lived in a cat colony in the woods behind my store. One of my sales people bought food for them and even collected a couple and paid to have them fixed. Jerry was a sweet kind man. Still there were new kittens every spring back there.
I got William when he was about four months old and brought him home and made him an indoor cat. He was a light gray tabby. But he died young. I had him neutered and he got a blockage in his urethra which I understand happens sometimes in neutered males. It was so sudden and heart breaking.
I didn't get Mia fixed but she never goes outdoors.
We had another male who was a rescue cat. He was old. Mia bossed him around and he was hugh but scared of her lol.

a reply to: pavil

Those needle baby teeth. Cat scratch fever isn't just an album. It's a real disease. I got it from William and wound up with a giant cyst on my neck which has left a small scar.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

Ur catz r fat. Must b well luvd.

My pets stalked me. I rebuked their cutness. Cast it out I say! They moved in.

a reply to: kosmicjack

In my experience, we don't really choose our pets, they actually end up choosing us, lol.

Fate, or luck, or them being able to recognize good character.

Or knowing who they can manipulate, haha.

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

That's a cute story. Well, except for the part of the one leaving and you never seeing her again. :/

Wow, 18 years is a long time. Female cats can be quite, um, temperamental themselves. My grandmother had a cat that lived 19.5 years, which was the sister of he cat I had before Toby. Ms. Doobie was similar to yours, in that if you pet her too long she would bite you, and was very distrusting of strangers at first.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Providing rescues shelter from the storm, how strong a heart that does that.

a reply to: Liquesence

That's a shame you lost track of Cujo, but I guess you two were similar creatures just doing what you could to survive at similar points in life, and happened to find common ground and reciprocity. Sucks you couldn't find him and take him with you. I guess in instances like that animals are a rare comfort and make things easier to handle.

When the cops and city work crew showed up ( with bulldozers ) everyone had to scatter, including the cat.

Best Feral cat I ever met.

a reply to: gr8skott

While never meant for me the cat took to me instantly. Since then my mother moved out (but didn't take the cat), a few years later she passed away; then I got divorced, moved states, and have gotten married again. The cat is now 18 and has been by my side the whole way, in fact he's right here this moment. He is my perpetual toddler; a gift and curse

You saved him and gave him an amazing life, through both of your life changes.

That's sweet.

That's loyalty. That's love.

a reply to: Sillyolme

C'mon, pictures, Silly.

Interesting, my mother had a Siamese when she was younger.

That's a cool story. Reminds me more of Toby. He also had a subling under the house with him, a tabby. But Toby was the only one who got in the car, and not telling what happened to the other . When I brought him home I locked him in the office, with food and milk. He hid behind the desk and wall scared to death, but within 30 minutes he had eaten the food and drunk the milk, only to hid back behind the desk. It wasn't long before he made himself at home, and like a little kid started trying to (unsuccessfully) befriend my other cat, who wanted nothing to do with that (and ultimately felt betrayed).

Like your cat crying for you when you're not there, I heard stories that my cats were depressed and unruly when I was out of town, doing everything they could for attention, not listening, etc. Like kids, lol.

She's my little girl.

never mind mistake

This is Toes...

I didn't choose the name Toes. He came to me already saddled with that. I tend to just call him "baby boy" and he now answers to both. It wasn't my intention to saddle him with that name either - but it was organic and it stuck.

Late last summer my landlord wound up with a litter of kittens and they'd reached the age of "give them away NOW or they'll quickly become actual cats before you know it" - and she managed to give all but ONE away.

That one was Toes.

I didn't really want a pet but my landlord told me about the kittens, that she had one left and that since nobody took it, the poor thing was heading to the pound the following day.

Long story short: I'm a sucker for a sob story and rather than let a kitten face death row...

Well this is Toes.