We've had Fred since May 2002. Fred lived with my sister for the year prior to that. Before my sister, he lived with two other people. I guess you could say Fred was the original gypsy, not us. Anyway, the Friday prior to Christmas '07, I had to rush Fred to the vet. He was vomiting. The last time he had vomited like that I almost lost him due to a urinary tract blockage. I didn't mess around. We found out that afternoon that Fred was in kidney failure; he had lost 75% of his kidney function. The vet told us we could have a few more days with him or a few more years. Needless to say, this wasn't the wonderful news we wanted to hear during the holidays. Just so you know, it's been a year and Fred is doing wonderfully. More on that later....
A few days after getting the bad news about Fred, two cats show up at our front door. Literally. I thought it was Fred meowing to come in. I opened the door and in run these two:
It was one of those rare nights in Phoenix where it was actually going to be 32 degrees outside. They were both so sweet I couldn't possibly stick them back outside. I got Teddy to agree to allow them to stay in the garage, even though they ended up with free reign of the house. Fred didn't come home until the next morning. He was NOT thrilled, but he adapted. Meanwhile, I posted fliers all over the neighborhood trying to find the cats rightful owner. I had the fliers up for almost two weeks and didn't receive a single call. Meanwhile, Ann and Rhonda told me, repeatedly, that it is good luck when a cat chooses you, let alone TWO cats. "You just have to keep them" :) Of course, I am a softy. When no one claimed them, I happily became their new owner.Now, fast forward to July 2008. Teddy and I made the decision to move back to VA in about a 48 hour period. Fred was okay at this point, but not really happy in the house. Sassy (the big boned fluffy cat) pretty much tormented Fred whenever he came inside. Besides, Fred has always loved being outdoors, even in the heat of the Phoenix summer. That cat was in heaven after we moved from VA to AZ. He brought me lizards and humming birds every chance he got. He loved lounging on the stucco walls, soaking in the sun. It was actually pretty rare for him to come inside. I had MANY concerns with moving him back across country. He didn't do well on the ride out - he had passed his bowels all over himself in fear the first day we had been on the road to Arizona. He was healthy then, too! He had lost weight as a result of the move. He had gained it back, but with the kidney disease had lost weight again and wasn't putting it back on. How would he fair riding in the car again, this time with two more cats? Furthermore, he is a sprayer. We would be staying with my parents upon our arrival back in VA until we could find a place. They have a male cat, Herbert:
I knew Fred would be spraying all over the place, not to mention that he'd be stuck in the house with three other cats! Not good times for Freddie boy. Last but not least, we knew we'd be living in Ghent. I knew there was NO WAY I'd be able to let him out around here and feel good about it. I'd be worried about him getting hit by car, at the very least (According to my friend Lydia, I'd also need to be worried about PETA breathing down my throat as well). I was hashing this all out to Ann and Rhonda, trying to figure out how to proceed in Fred's best interests, when they offered to keep him. This was a HUGE relief to us. I knew they would love him just as much (if not more) as we had and that he'd be SO much happier not to have to go through the trauma of a six day ride or being kept indoors. This was incredibly difficult for me as well. Even though I knew that this was best for Fred, I loved my kitty and didn't want to be without him. I just did what was best for him rather than for us. To date, Fred has done exceedingly well in Ann & Rhonda's care. He has gained weight back and stays very close to home these days. From all I hear, he is a very happy old man.Once we arrived in Norfolk, we kept Smokey and Sassy up on the third floor for about two days. Herbert had time to sniff them and determine that there were others in his territory. He really didn't seem to care, other than just exhibiting signs of curiosity. We let the two cats loose on the third day. Herbert and Smokey pretty much hit it off right away. Sassy was okay at first. As the days progressed, however, she became more and more bitchful towards Herbert. We were at my parents for two weeks until we moved into our own place. The cats continued to stay with my parents for the first three weeks we were in our new place. Sassy's behavior continued to decline. She tormented Herbert every chance she got. She began to knock things over on purpose (like the vase my mother had on a stand in the kitchen). It was time to bring Sassy home.
It was evident that Sassy missed Smokey within a day of her moving into the apartment. She moped. So, despite my mother telling me that Herbie and Smokey loved each other too much to be separated, I attempted to bring him home as well. He was NOT happy. First of all, he didn't have three floors to rip through ( he LOVES to run laps). Second of all, being on the corner of a busy road, it was too loud for him. He immediately hid under a dresser and wouldn't come out. I couldn't do it to him. I took him back to mom's. He's been there ever since.
Now, what to do for Sassy's lonliness? Here's where I get to the point of this babbling blog :) We adopted a kitten from the SPCA on October 12. We named him Raz in honor of my godmother's Dad who had passed the same day:
We named him Raz, but Teddy and I called him ( and some days, still do) the shitten. Around the kids, we'll call him Mr. Mittens
This picture shows you why... look at those paws! You can also see that little spot of white on his chin, so that led us to calling him Cheebah. Hmmm.... other names have included Razamataz, Bat Boy, parrot man, gator(he makes a sound like a baby gator), and more that I can't remember right now. I'll have to update this when I do :) I joke that he doesn't know his name because he has so many.
Million dollar question: what does Sassy think of him? I think the picture below says it all:
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