June is National Adopt-A-Cat Month. That, combined with Louis J. Cat's recent bout with ennui, prompted us to head down to the Brevard County Animal Shelter Saturday.
Louie's big brother, 'Tude, died last October right before we moved. Louie was fond of following 'Tude around, mimicking his every step and even sleeping on top of him. After 'Tude died and we moved, Louie seemed OK for awhile. Soon, Mary began to work full-time, too, and Louie was left alone for long periods of time. In April and May, we were gone for three of four weekends in one stretch and Louie just seemed to get into a funk.
So, we decided he needed a brother, again. At the Brevard County Animal Shelter, we discovered Clyde.
Actually, Clyde adopted us, as they say. I picked him up out of his cage and he made me promise he would NOT be put back into that cage again. He snuggled up into my arms and purred like a machine.
And now he lives in our guest bathroom. We can have no guests for a week or so.
Clyde is about 2 years old, by their guess, and he's a Maine Coon mix. He was left at the shelter by the neighbor of his original owner who complained the owner was allergic to his longer hair. Gutless owner; makes his neighbor abandon his own cat.
There were dozens of sad stories at the shelter. Cats abandoned because of a move. Cats abandoned because of allergies. Cats abandoned for no reason.
Clyde is extremely personable and has a loud, non-stop purr. He's been checked and given shots and is fixed. He'll be segregated from Louie for a week behind closed doors while he is treated for a minor cold. They will sniff each other from behind the door and we will gradually introduce them to each other.
Then the real fun begins!
We'll keep you posted on the progress!
More later,
Mark
2 comments:
Hello Clyde.
He is a fairly short-haried Maine Coon, as I have never seen one with the white in him. Does he have the high pitched "voice?" Tell-tale sign. My Maine Coon came to me due to allergies. Nonsense.
Hope the other bonds with him.
He reminds me a bit of Ditka, who's hair was shorter when he was younger and thicker when he was older. He's very soft and his tail has the Maine Coon plume, which is another tell-tale sign (like the tufts of hair from the ears). Ditka was predominately white, you might recall with the "Sylvester" face and black blotches on his body. Clyde is clearly a mix, though I have no idea what the proportions are. Even though he is locked in the guest bathroom for now, he is so happy to be out of the shelter! He's got his own blanket, separate cat bed, toys, food, etc. It's a good-sized bathroom and he is enjoying himself and purrs non-stop during our (frequent) visits to play with him. He loves to be held and carried. Last night, Louie began sniffing at the door. He knows something is up, but the shelter vet who checked Clyde out gave us some cold meds and we're probably going to keep them separate until Friday night.
I'll run some video later...
Mark
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