Where all the owners are responsible, all the shelters are empty, and all the pets are only slightly over-loved
I don’t think Garrus wasn’t consulted.
“Instead of taking pictures, you could, you know, help.” ~Garrus
“Boundaries? What are those?” ~Mau
The snuggle ended when Garrus slid from under Mau and stood up, letting Mau to unceremoniously flop on the ottoman. Then Mau declared that lap time would commence forthwith with Aaron.
Mau is a pretty cute cat, though I might be biased. It’s now been about 10 days since his dental surgery and being toothless hasn’t negatively affected his quality of life.
“This bed is so cozy!”
Aaron and I have noticed that he has become more playful and bats both crinkle balls and plastic springs around the house. Mau’s favorite toy might be the laser pointer, however, as he chases after the red dot with more gusto and stamina than either Garrus or Charlie. It’s highly amusing and delightful to watch all three cats skitter about the house trying to pounce on the elusive red dot. If I can, I’ll record a video of a play session and share it here on Purry Home Companion!
“Mama, I found a box! It’s such a nice box.”
Look at these handsome boys! I couldn’t resist snapping a photo when I saw them lined up like this.
Garrus and Mau demonstrate their nightly ottoman sprawl. Mau recently adopted this habit of flaunting his fluffy belly like this. It’s not a trap. I repeat: it’s not a trap!
At last year’s Clear the Shelter event (held on Saturday, August 19th), our lives changed when we decided to foster two tabbies. We had not fostered before but Aaron and I decided jointly that these boys really needed us.
Aristotle was gaunt, pitiful-looking, and had patchy fur due to overgrooming. Because of his severe stomatitis, he had (understandably) a poor appetite.
Tink, then two years old, had spent cumulatively 18 months at the shelter (partly in foster care). He had been adopted and returned three times, and had recently lost his buddy cat Pan. While he had been successfully paired with a new buddy, Tink was decidedly not doing well in the shelter and spent 95% of the time hiding.
Both cats were skittish, extremely shy, and wary. They needed a lot of TLC and a quiet respite from the shelter. In our care they made noticeable improvements, especially because we were patient and made an effort to gain their trust. Only two weeks later they moved in! Since we brought them home during the Clear the Shelter event, the adoption fees were waived.
A year later, they are very different, and much happier, cats. They are no longer so skittish and timid. Charlie (formerly known as Tink) blossomed into a perpetually sunny, friendly, and affectionate cat. He squeaks! He flops! He snuggles! Garrus (formerly known as Aristotle) underwent dental surgery to treat his stomatitis and is now a much healthier cat with bunny-soft fur. While still on the reserved side, he now asks for visits, bats at crinkle balls, and chases after the red dot with gusto.
As you can see, Charlie and Garrus are not concerned. They may, however, be only slightly overloved in our house.
Honestly, isn’t this every day at my house? Officially, International Cat Day was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and other animal rights groups. So you have an official 24 hours to venerate your Fur Person of the feline persuasion as they likely demand.
You may now pay your respects by kissing the paw. This one only.
Garrus and Charlie are most particular about their regular sunbath treatments and lounging areas.
“All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” Photo courtesy of Pexels
For several reasons, we’ve kept Mau sequestered in Aaron’s office, which is our foster area. (Don’t worry, we visit him often.) On a few occasions, we’ve put Charlie and Garrus in the bedroom and let Mau slowly explore different areas of the house. He can be on the skittish side when exposed to something new, so we keep tabs on him so he doesn’t get too stressed out and overstimulated. The last time he explored the living room, he canceled lap time and put himself back up into the office, thus ending his little expedition.
Today Mau channeled his inner ninja and stealthily climbed over the two baby gates we put in the office doorway. Jailbreak! I didn’t hear him get out and only saw him when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cat in my office. Initially I thought it was either Garrus or Charlie until I looked and saw Mau! Then he sped off into our bedroom, where he camped out beneath the bed all afternoon. He sat too far back under the bed for me to reach him and, since he wasn’t bothering anyone, I let him be.
For their part, Garrus and Charlie were exceptionally well-behaved. They knew something was up but they kept their distance from Mau and did not bother him at all. Garrus followed me once when I went to check if Mau was still under the bed; Garrus calmly sat in the doorway and looked in Mau’s general direction. No foofing, no hissing, no spats. I don’t even think that the boys acknowledged Mau when he did, briefly, venture into the hallway or kitchen. Garrus and Charlie proceeded to the afternoon adhering to their usual routine: sunbathing and snoozing.
When Aaron came home, Mau started talking and came out. He was apparently quite excited to see Aaron that he started drooling (which, by the way, is REALLY gross and stinky)!
Blep!
So much exploring!
Mau made like Bilbo Baggins and had quite the adventure! He did seem a bit overwhelmed and nervous, though, so Aaron picked him up and brought him back to our foster area. We fed him (om nom nom), after which he had a well-deserved chill session in Boudicca’s (former) pink bed. I don’t think he slept at all this afternoon; usually all three boys sleep for a while in the afternoon and wake up for dinner.
Mau likes to show us his paws. During lap time, he makes semi-biscuits.
Clearly we need such a holiday! I couldn’t find the creator of this lighthearted pet holiday but still appreciate the sentiment. Onwards to pet photos!
Garrus really enjoys snoozing on the ottoman. In the afternoon he sunbathes here. This is also one of his favorite visiting spots. I’ve been able to occasionally put him on my lap and give him scritches.
Charlie found himself a sunny spot. This is an excellent dual birdwatching and meditation perch.
Mau chills out on the chair, patiently waiting for a human lap to appear.
Feel free to share your pet photos in the comments!
Although Mau remains in our foster suite (read: Aaron’s office) because he’s on the skittish side, we propped two baby gates in the doorway so that he could see more of the house and passively meet our cats through a barrier.
Charlie is utterly fascinated by the presence of another cat and really wants to be friends.
Charlie and Garrus hang out in the hallway sometimes when they see Mau.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to snap a photo of Garrus sitting politely, like the gentleman he is, on one side of the gate while Mau chatted to him on the other side. It sounded like Mau just repeated his name over and over again. I was pleased with their initial meeting. Charlie has done the same thing, sometimes punctuated with squeaks and rubbing himself against the gate.
For his part, Mau has done well. At times he seems quite curious about our cats while at other times he would prefer the company of people only. Mau has occasionally hissed at Charlie, although I think that’s because he’s not a fan of Charlie’s habit of staring at him. (Charlie is enthusiastically friendly but not always adept at reading other cats’ body language and vocal cues. Imagine a feline version of Spongebob Squarepants.)
Sometimes Mau initiates staring contests.
Earlier this week Garrus had his follow-up to check his response to his steroid therapy. Dr. R was very pleased to report that his stomatitis had significantly decreased and only a very small amount of inflammation remained in the back right side of his mouth. Dr R wants to keep him on a low dose of steroids every other day for the next few weeks to continue treating his stomatitis.
“Excuse me. Could you please let me out?” Garrus was exceptionally well-behaved in the carrier to and from the vet.
He gained 0.6 lbs in three weeks and needs to gain 0.5-1 lb to be at a healthy weight. We’ve been able to give him, on average, at least one can of wet food a day. If he’s a particularly hungry Garrus, he will eat up to two cans in a day. Like Boudicca, he’s a little persnickety about how his food is presented (because it’s easier to eat): he likes it well chopped, fluffed, and room temperature. We indulge him because we want him to eat, be healthy, and be a happy cat.
For the last month we also gave a dose of Zylkene in his food. We had suspected that he had developed food anxiety as a result of being bullied for food by his previous housemates, and dealing with dental pain from stomatitis exacerbated this. We noticed that the boys acted a bit uneasy after Boudicca passed away, and Dr R explained that this was due to the social hierarchical dynamic shifting. By nature, Garrus tends to be a submissive cat; Charlie, while not a dominant (“bossy”) cat per se, is the most intense cat in the household now. Dr R suggested that we try Zylkene for a month or so to help both cats settle and relax. In our experience, it helped. Garrus in particular became more affectionate and faffed about less at meal times.
Garrus enjoys claiming Aaron’s pants as a bed and gives me side-eye when I take a photo.
Wherever Garrus is, Charlie often follows, sometimes bringing a toy with him. Here he claimed a towel as his lounging spot and slow-blinked at me, purring.
Kitten season is here and so is Adopt a Cat Month! Did you know that more than 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters annually? Did you know that 860,000 cats are euthanized? Animals being euthanized due to lack of space and overpopulation makes me very sad, since this is a preventable problem. Spaying/neutering pets and catch-neuter/spay-release programs dramatically impact animal overpopulation issues in communities. If you want to add a fur person to your family, please, please consider checking out your local animal shelter or rescue group first. There are so many lovable cats (and dogs!) that deserve wonderful homes.
Moreover, this is Father’s Day weekend! Some shelters may run Father’s Day specials (read: discounts!) as well so be sure to ask about those too!
I’m so happy we adopted these two boys! I think they are quite handsome but I’m probably biased.
Happy National Best Friends Day!
Take some time today to let your best friend and all your friends know how much they mean to you and that you appreciate and cherish their friendship! While you’re at it, pass along such warm regards to your pet friends too!
Ten months ago, Aaron and I fostered Garrus and Charlie. They had been introduced to one another at the shelter and immediately hit it off. We did not want to split them up and adopted them both. I might be biased but they really do have the cutest bromance under the sun. If one of them is at the vet or in another room, the other will search for his buddy (Charlie squeaks as he does this). They play games of chase, hide and seek, pounce, and batting toys around the house. Frequently we find them grooming or snuggling together, and it’s always adorable.
You can see why I bought them a dog bed. They need the extra room!
Purry Home Companion 