The Tale (Tail?) of Moo
On New Year's Eve, we discovered a visitor on our deck, braving the cold temperatures:
This tiny black and white kitten sat on our deck for quite a while. Being a total cat lover, there was no way I was going to let a tiny kitten be out in the cold with no food, etc., so we put some stuff out for it. Predictably, the kitten then became practically a resident of our porch. His favorite thing to do (besides eating...) was sit on the box by our window, curl up and just watch our kitties watching him. (We didn't know it was a boy until a while later, but... it was.) He provided much entertainment during the New Year's party, as we peered at his cuteness out the window. Somewhere along the way, I decided he should be named Moo (for obvious reasons!). It stuck.
I would have loved to try and bring him in from the cold on Day 1, but we had to be really careful not to bring any sickness or fleas, etc. to our cats. So, we figured we would call all the local animal shelters, and look for Missing Cat signs. We didn't find anything. On day 3, Bryon rigged up a Wile E. Coyote-type cat catching - a string tied to the door of the cat carrier, strung in through the window for easy pulling, and some food inside the carrier. It worked like a charm, and we brought him into the nice warm apartment.
We didn't want to freak him out too much, or have him get too close to our cats, so we rigged him up a huge box with food, water, blanket, etc. until we could get him to the vet. By this point, we were searching for a home, hoping to come up with a solid solution other than the animal shelter (not that that would have been awful—they are very, very nice there). Bryon suggested that his parents take the kitten. In fact, Moo is very similar in appearance to their last cat, Shiner, who was also a stray. While we waited for their final decision, we took Moo to the vet. The poor guy had an upper respiratory infection and a wormy belly, both of which required medicine. Happily, he was allowed to be around our cats since they were already vaccinated for the respiratory infection. So began Moo's visit to our apartment.
Despite a strong tendency to hide under things, including getting INSIDE the bottom lining of the couch, Moo finally started to relax a bit, hanging out with the kitties in the living room and playing with toys. After some initial tension, all three kitties got to know each other a bit. Ripley, who'd been the most offended by the presence of the Tiny New Thing, ended up practically adopting him, with Moo following Ripley around and even convincing him to share his favorite chair.
A few days later the time was nearing to transfer Moo to his new home with Bryon's parents. However, we wanted him to make a good impression and all, so D came over and gave him a bath. I kid you not, the kitten never made a peep or swatted at anyone through the entire bath process. He is extremely mellow, even when put in the State Most Hated By Cats Everywhere:
...wet cat. (a.k.a. The Most Pathetic Creature on the Planet.)
Pretty soon after, he did manage to take a run around the bathroom while we were trying to dry him off, running directly through the litterbox and therefore getting super-clumping litter stuck to various bits of fur. I was still snipping bits of it out two days later. Overall he was a really calm kitty.
And darn cute.
Now he's been living at Bryon's parents' house for a couple of weeks. When he first got there, they were going to start him off in the basement. That didn't work, because he just crawled under the bookshelf behind the couch and stayed there for an entire day. Bryon and I went over to unearth him, and then we put him upstairs instead, since it was more similar to the apartment he was used to. They are going to stick with "Moo" (I'm so proud); he is adjusting nicely. The biggest proof? Hours of petting sessions with Bryon's dad, Moo purring the loudest of any cat I've ever heard. They're getting along just fine. :)
Well, that's the Tale (or Tail) of Moo! I'm happy we could help him find a good home in a warm house, with a lot of love.
This tiny black and white kitten sat on our deck for quite a while. Being a total cat lover, there was no way I was going to let a tiny kitten be out in the cold with no food, etc., so we put some stuff out for it. Predictably, the kitten then became practically a resident of our porch. His favorite thing to do (besides eating...) was sit on the box by our window, curl up and just watch our kitties watching him. (We didn't know it was a boy until a while later, but... it was.) He provided much entertainment during the New Year's party, as we peered at his cuteness out the window. Somewhere along the way, I decided he should be named Moo (for obvious reasons!). It stuck.
I would have loved to try and bring him in from the cold on Day 1, but we had to be really careful not to bring any sickness or fleas, etc. to our cats. So, we figured we would call all the local animal shelters, and look for Missing Cat signs. We didn't find anything. On day 3, Bryon rigged up a Wile E. Coyote-type cat catching - a string tied to the door of the cat carrier, strung in through the window for easy pulling, and some food inside the carrier. It worked like a charm, and we brought him into the nice warm apartment.
We didn't want to freak him out too much, or have him get too close to our cats, so we rigged him up a huge box with food, water, blanket, etc. until we could get him to the vet. By this point, we were searching for a home, hoping to come up with a solid solution other than the animal shelter (not that that would have been awful—they are very, very nice there). Bryon suggested that his parents take the kitten. In fact, Moo is very similar in appearance to their last cat, Shiner, who was also a stray. While we waited for their final decision, we took Moo to the vet. The poor guy had an upper respiratory infection and a wormy belly, both of which required medicine. Happily, he was allowed to be around our cats since they were already vaccinated for the respiratory infection. So began Moo's visit to our apartment.
Despite a strong tendency to hide under things, including getting INSIDE the bottom lining of the couch, Moo finally started to relax a bit, hanging out with the kitties in the living room and playing with toys. After some initial tension, all three kitties got to know each other a bit. Ripley, who'd been the most offended by the presence of the Tiny New Thing, ended up practically adopting him, with Moo following Ripley around and even convincing him to share his favorite chair.
A few days later the time was nearing to transfer Moo to his new home with Bryon's parents. However, we wanted him to make a good impression and all, so D came over and gave him a bath. I kid you not, the kitten never made a peep or swatted at anyone through the entire bath process. He is extremely mellow, even when put in the State Most Hated By Cats Everywhere:
...wet cat. (a.k.a. The Most Pathetic Creature on the Planet.)
Pretty soon after, he did manage to take a run around the bathroom while we were trying to dry him off, running directly through the litterbox and therefore getting super-clumping litter stuck to various bits of fur. I was still snipping bits of it out two days later. Overall he was a really calm kitty.
And darn cute.
Now he's been living at Bryon's parents' house for a couple of weeks. When he first got there, they were going to start him off in the basement. That didn't work, because he just crawled under the bookshelf behind the couch and stayed there for an entire day. Bryon and I went over to unearth him, and then we put him upstairs instead, since it was more similar to the apartment he was used to. They are going to stick with "Moo" (I'm so proud); he is adjusting nicely. The biggest proof? Hours of petting sessions with Bryon's dad, Moo purring the loudest of any cat I've ever heard. They're getting along just fine. :)
Well, that's the Tale (or Tail) of Moo! I'm happy we could help him find a good home in a warm house, with a lot of love.
