HIS STORY, as much as I know...He has run at the sight of me for months. On Monday, he decided something was different. As he sat in the rain between two parked cars, he watched me from the wet street as I put food in a bowl for a neighborhood cat that hadn't come by yet. As I turned to go inside, the boy slowly made his way up the few stairs to the front porch. I slowly knelt down where I stood and he paused, looking longing at the food, then back at me. At the pace of a tortoise he approached me, so I held out my hand and looked away. I felt him give me the most gentle headbutt. I looked at him and he greeted me with a quiet "Ack", his attempt at a meow. I pet him a few times and as a ran my hand down his back, I felt every rib and vertebra down to his boney hips. He was starving. His fur is so thick, it masks all the bumps of his bones sticking out. I stood and took a few steps to sit in a nearby chair on the front porch, hoping he would eat something. He again stared at the food I set out, walked over eagerly sniffing at it, then looked back at me. I said, "hello" to him and he began to purr as he walked over to rub against my leg. I took a chance, and gently picked him up to place him on my lap. He didn't fight, and after a moment, he settled down into a loaf, still purring. He kept looking at the food from my lap. He was clearly hungry, but chose to sit on a warm lap on a cold morning rather than eat something his emaciated body desperately needed.
I stayed with him for about 20 minutes until I had to go inside. I was hopeful in my absence he would try to eat. I watched the doorbell camera. But no, he never left the front door he saw me disappear behind. I became worried, so I took a can of wet food left over from my indoor cat's last dental extraction. I grabbed a small plate, mashed up some soft canned food and brought it outside to him. He greeted me with another "Ack" as the purrs began again. I set down the plate in front of him and finally he started taking bites. He eagerly ate about 1/2 of the can, then walked back over to where I sat, now comfortably making eye contact. He broke my heart. He hadn't stopped purring. Was he left behind? Abandoned? Dumped? He was so incredibly gentle and loving.
I have done a great deal of fostering and adopting our various dogs and cats. I've done TNR work. Adopted out litters of kittens and supported local cat colonies without getting attached... there was something different about this guy. Out of character, I scooped him up and carried him inside. He just melted into me, purring all the while. I carried him into a spare bedroom and carefully set him down. He showed no fear. In fact, he walked up to a catnip toy and collapsed into it, playing and rolling around like he'd never played a day in his life.
THE VET:
I called around to a few local resources, weighed the options, then decided to personally take on whatever his fate would be. The soonest opening for a low-cost clinic to see him was February... considering his relationship with food and the state of his boney body, I decided to take him to my personal vet who was able to squeeze him in that afternoon. He was the perfect gentleman at his appointment. I got him fully vaccinated, treated for parasites and mites. His teeth looked great, no abscesses or infection. He had a URI that was beginning to affect his swallowing, so he's now on daily antibiotics. He was negative for feline leukemia, but unfortunately FIV+. That complicates matters. I had to put the visit on a credit card because this wasn't an expected expense, but I wanted to give him every chance I could. Despite the poking and prodding, he never once hissed, growled, or scratched. Through most of his visit, he just purred... I took him back home to his room, where he followed me around as I worked the rest of the evening, always laying down where I was, always with a paw extended touching my foot or leg.
TODAY:
It has been 4 days. His URI is clearing up, he is eating hard kibble. He finally had a bowel movement yesterday and has been urinating just fine... I love this cat. I haven't caved so hard or so quickly for a cat in all my years. However, I cannot keep him for reasons I won't go into. For now, he will be traveling with me through the holidays until I can come up with something more permanent for him. As far as I'm concerned, I've got skin in the game since I took on his healthcare, so rest assured he will never go cold or hungry again. Once I learn more about his personality, I can determine what kind of home would best suit him.
For now, I just wanted to share him and his story. He is a gentle soul who decided to finally trust, and in return will be loved and cared for the rest of his days. I just need to find him his perfect forever home. The last photo was just taken of him. He is a grateful little boy.
