For the Love of Cat Vol. 6, Shotgun

Halford, 2008

 Okay, we've been keeping a secret.
We have a new cat around. As I've mentioned before, my husband and I live right next door to my parents in a tiny house with our two dogs. I would say the cats are mutual property between the two residents by now. They go to whatever door will open for them whenever they are cold and hungry. Meatloaf, the kitten we rescued last July from under a nearby house, hangs mostly with us. Halford was my cat and he moved with my parents 4 years ago when I moved into a house with Paul downtown. He's now more of my pet again than just a neighbor. He sleeps at our house most nights. Then there is Luci, a beautiful black and white long haired cat I rescued when she was a kitten from a dirty house with no food or liter box for her. I brought her to live with my parents, so she never got the chance to live with me and Louie and therefore never got used to a big slobbery dog that bumps into you when he's looking right at you! Luci has ventured into our home a few times. She'll find a comfy spot on the back of a chair and hold her own when a dog tries to sniff her, but she is definitely not a dog lover like the other two.

Luci, 2008 (notice her extra thumbs)

Okay, so what is the secret?!
My dad brought another cat home. Everyone sighed, we aren't 'cat people'. I love my pets, don't get me wrong, I just don't see our family having loads of cats roaming around. How many is too many? Well, my dad had to explain how the new cat found him and why he put it in his truck and brought it home.

I walked in to my dad's house after a long day of work.
All I knew about the new cat was that it looked like Luci except dirty and my dad had 'saved' it. What I found was a skinny, hungry, scruffy looking Muppet caked in cow manure and stinking to high heaven. How could anyone want to pick that up and take it home? It looked so scared. I did not touch it because I was sure it would turn into a hissing, gnashing fur ball, slicing its way to free itself from my clutches with it's infected claws. I just watched skinny try to choke down food and asked my dad what he was thinking.

He told me he was on a nearby farm with a friend. They were going to do some work on the property. The three men were standing around discussing this upcoming project when a skinny black and white kitty slowly walked by.  The farm hand said 'Oh, yeah. That reminds me I was supposed to get rid of that thing.' and he pulled his shotgun from his truck. My dad quickly asked what he was doing. The man said that this cat didn't belong here and it had been wondering around on their property for a while now and no one could catch it. It was surely feral and diseased. My dad quickly volunteered to take care of this for him. He patiently waiting for the cat to approach. He pet it a little and it seemed fine. He tried to pick it up and then it really gave it to him. Hissing, spitting, clawing, flailing. My dad carried it to his truck, put it in and shut the door.

Okay, I get it.
He could not let that man shoot this cat, it had to be somebodies pet, at least at one time. On top of that, it looked so darn much like his cat Luci. What kind of a man would he be if he stood by and let that happen? I understood, and loved my dad just a little more. I looked at my dad and said 'Well, I guess we call it 'Shotgun'. He smiled with tears in his eyes. The cat purred while it ate the crunchy kibble just as fast as it could. We scheduled a vet appointment for the next day and thought we'd try to find it a home if we could. We'd make sure she was well first. One thing we knew for sure: this cat did not like dogs. The moment Louie or Snorp were in sight, even through the window she flipped out.

Meatloaf, 2012

The first time Shotgun met Louie was quite the scene. 
Shotgun made it known she despised this animal and anyone who looked like it. Hissing, spitting, flailing, clawing again, my dad carried her upstairs and away from the other animals, giving Louie a chance to inspect the new smell and trace everywhere this new creature had been. Louie made zigzags across the kitchen floor, over to the cat food bowl where he was reminded he didn't get to eat that, over to the water dish where he helped himself and wet his whistle, under a chair and table and into a closet, back across the kitchen to the living room where he did some deep sniffing of a blanket Shotgun had been lying one when we came in. Then he went back trough the living room and crossed the kitchen floor to the flight of stairs leading upstairs, no hiding from this dog! No, sorry Louie, you can't go upstairs. Leave that kitty alone.

Shotgun, 2012

So why was this a secret?
Well, it wasn't really a secret actually. More that I wasn't ready to share this story until I knew where it was going. This cat looked terribly sick and hated my dogs. What kind of uplifting story could I spin out of that? How does this relate to Life with Blind Louie?

Well, we took Shotgun to the vet. Shotgun is a 'she'. She had been fixed before, so she was somebodies pet once upon a time. They guessed she was maybe three years old, she did not have feline leukemia but she had such bad fleas that she was anemic.  She was far too thin and was recovering from dehydration. So, I see. The farmer could not take care of another animal and he knew this cat had no home and was sick. They were doing the 'humane' thing and 'euthanizing' her. Farmers and country folk handle things just a bit different than we do in the city. That scenario sounds crazy to me being raised in town and new to this area but I don't think anyone necessarily had poor intentions. I'm just glad my big-heart-ed father was there to give this girl a second chance.

Shotgun, 2012

Now between the two houses, we have four cats, two dogs, three chickens, and two pigs.
Everybody is happy and taken care of so it seems okay. I don't see us adopting out Shotgun, my dad is very attached. She sleeps with him at night and comes when he calls her. The name stuck, Shotgun. I named another cat a weird name. Win! She is way more mellow now, she doesn't hit or spit at my dad anymore, even when he picks her up. She's playing and wrestling with the other cats. The dogs though... well, she still leery. I don't know if that will get too much better. Luci still doesn't like the dogs much and they've been living next door to her for about seven months now. Louie, however is learning to keep his distance. He knows if he smells close enough that he can hear her growling at him that he need to back off. She doesn't run away anymore, she stands her ground. This is really good because it will teach Louie to keep away instead of just chasing and playing hide and seek. Today, I finally was able to take pictures of her because she wasn't hiding. She's a pretty Shotgun.

Shotgun, 2012

Cat Fights Vol. 1, Looking in

Louie & The Loaf, lying in my lap.

This was Meatloaf of the day that we found her. 
 There she is, a tiny sick, weird-looking kitten snatched out from under an old trailer. No sign of mom or siblings in sight. Gross snotty face and icky ears. She was an instant favorite.

This is Louie lying in my lap as I sit on the floor.
 He would not leave Meatloaf's side the first two weeks we had her. It took full time monitoring to get her to dry out at all. Louie wanted to clean that gross little kitty. She would purr and purr and eagerly allow it. Then of course, Meatloaf thought she could nurse from her new mommy. I watched the scrawny kitten wriggle her way under Louie. I could see Louie's eyebrows move inquisitively up and down. Then, suddenly. Eyebrows up! and up Louie jumps as fast as he can. I guess Meatloaf found that what she wanted, she wasn't going find there at all.

Imminent death is upon us.

This is Halford sitting on the front porch.

  A cat that has had the run of our family homes for over three years. A cat that is smart, comes when he's called, asks to be let out to use the bathroom, and basically acts like a dog. He is glaring through the window that lines the side of the front door.
   I sit on the floor in the living room. Meatloaf and Louie in my lap. I feel calm and happy. Louie has finally settled down and stopped trying to lick the kitten. Everyone is comfortable. I take a photo, it's just that cute of a moment. I look up and at little to my right with a slight smile on my face.

 Five feet away, we lock eyes.

Halford.

Sitting on the front porch,

glaring through the window that lines the side of the front door.

For just one split second, I was very afraid. This was a death glare. A wild animal. Halford was ready to kill, stalking prey, in the moment. He wanted that rodent out of his house and now. Halford, the only cat that got Louie attention was, Halford. and that was that. Luci didn't want anything to do with him and Louie came to terms with that. They left each other alone. I can only imagine Halford wondered why we were coddling a mouse, when in fact he brought us them dead and left them at the back door all the time.

Happy Halloween, From Halford

For the Love of Cat Vol 4, Replacing Halford?

It was spring time 2009. I had moved back to my parents house in November 2008 with Louie and Halford. We were loving the house with the big yard and Louie was loving hanging out with my dad and Poncho all day when I went to work. Halford enjoyed exploring the woods behind the house. He figured out how to get on and off the roof of this big house and he'd just cruise around up there and hang out. I think he liked the birds eye view. Everyday when I came home from work, Halford would come running. He'd either be meowing down at me from the roof top or running up to my car from behind the house. I loved my little cat-dog. It was just cool to have a cat that would come when you called him.

Gone Fishin'
Due to these very regular daily behaviors, like breakfast together and meeting me at my car when I got home, I knew right away that Halford was missing. By the next day I was already worried. I made flyers, posted an ad on Craigslist and went to both locations of the humane society in town. I left my flyers there in hopes they would call me if anyone brought Halford in. I kept going back to check the cats and make sure he wasn't there. It was really sad. Louie and I looked everywhere. We walked around in the backyard, calling him and Louie used his sniffer. I knew he wouldn't just run away, he really loved us and his house, so instead I feared the worst. Coyotes. I didn't want to think about it, but that may have been Halford's fate.

Luci posed, with Frank Zappa

Time Passes
Six days went by, I stopped going to the pound everyday and just hoped someone would call. That is when I went over to my old house to visit my old roommate and his kitten 'Venom'. I saw how bad the conditions in the house were and there was still no cat food. I knew that we had room for another cat at our place, but it wasn't like I was replacing Halford. I was just trying to rescue this cat, maybe find her a home. I took 'Venom' home with me and I changed her name to Luci in the car on the drive. I thought my folks might be more accepting of the little girl if she had a cuter name.

Two days passed, eight days since I'd seen Mr. Halford. Luci was liking her new house, getting used to the new people and animals. My mom immediately fell in love with the fluffy little girl. Luci seemed to have a permanent spot in my mothers lap any time she'd sit down. We were sitting around inside, my little brother Hunter and my mom, when we heard my dad scream from outside.


Rescue Mission
My cell phone rang and it was my dad, hysterical. I could barely understand what he was saying. It was something like "I hear him, I know it's him. Help me, I need help. Bring the ladder!" I'm running through the hall to the front door while listening to him on the phone. I told Hunter to get the ladder.

When I got outside, my dad was in the neighbors yard on the other side of a fence. He was in full panic mode. My dad pointed to the small vent in the attic of the neighbors shop. It's where the old man would park his riding lawnmower and keep tools and such. There were no windows on the building. It was just a tiny vent in the very top on the side of the building by the roof and a garage door on the front. The neighbors took very good care of their lawn. He was out almost everyday doing yard work but I hadn't seen them in while. They had gone on vacation a little over a week before. Then I heard it too. A loud meow, and it most certainly was Halford! My brother brought him the ladder, my dad climbed up and tore off the vent and pulled out a cat.

Halford liking his lips picturing Luci as a roast turkey

When they passed him to me I cried. He was a bag of bones! Halford started to purr as I held him. I carried him inside and into my room. I closed the door and set out a small water dish and just a couple tablespoons of food. I knew he could hurt himself if he ate too fast. He was just living on mice and whatever for eight days! I couldn't believe he was gone for that long and was still alive!

An Impostor! or Breakfast?
Suddenly, Halford stops drinking water and starts in with a low growl. Hiss! What? I look around and see a chubby, fluffy and clean little black and white kitten sitting there looking at Halford. I had totally forgot about her in all the commotion in finding Halford. Halford was not happy to see another cat right now. I think he just wanted to eat her he was so fricken hungry! I tried to explain to Halford that he wasn't being replaced, I hadn't given up on looking for him. This kitten just needed a good home, that's all. He seemed to hold a grudge. I scooped up little Luci and brought her back to my mom's lap where she belonged, while I went back in to check on Halford. Louie wouldn't leave, he waiting and listened just outside my bedroom door, he wanted his Halford!

Snuggling?

Warming up to Each Other
Over the next few days we fed Halfey slowly, he drank water, re-hydrated. He slept with Louie. He didn't want to go outside, but more than anything, Halford would not tolerate closed doors. He came to hate any kind of inclosed space, and I could totally understand. He would howl like a banshee if a door would close on him. We kept all the interior doors opened at least a crack. This made it difficult to separate Halford and Luci, seeing as Halford wanted Luci for lunch. Instead, we encouraged playing, and we supervised and refereed to make sure it didn't get out of control. Louie helped with the refereeing part for sure.

Maybe not.

Before you know it, a few weeks had gone by and Luci and Halford were getting along, there was some pretty awesome cat wrestling matches going on in our house. They played with toys together and I'd even catch them snuggling from time to time.

A Lesson Learned
I'll never forget losing Halford, I've learned a valuable lesson. Cats get locked into outbuildings all the time. Keep your eye out for cats in your garage, and if you lose a cat go and check your neighbors garages, with their permission of course. I know now this happens all the time in the spring and summer months. Halford, what a survivor! We're all happy to have him, especially Louie.

For the Love of Cat Vol. 2, (Rob) Halford Kitty

Louie says goodbye at Jack's grave

Louie sure was sad after Jack died. Lou would search around the house for him, checking Jack's usual hang out spots like in front of the heater or on Louie's dog bed.

Grieving
Louie moved on much quicker than I did. I knew I wanted another cat for Louie, but I knew they would need to be very special. Louie was mostly blind by now. I couldn't have him around a cat that would fight dogs. We couldn't risk an injury to his already terrible eyes. I decided the only way I could do it would be if we got a kitten. I decided to just let it be, I wasn't looking to adopt anytime soon. I really missed Jack and felt he would be impossible to replace.

Halford makes himself at home

The Stars Align
Months passed. A co-worker of mine had just adopted a black lab puppy. Not long after, his cat had kittens. The puppy and the kittens shared a living space. When I heard this story about all the kitten and puppy snuggling that was going on a light bulb went off! One of those kittens could be Louie's! All of these kitties were being partially raised by a black dog. I knew this could work.

Fast friends, Halford and Louie, 2009

Bringing Him Home
I got up early and met my coworker at our place of business about a hour before we opened shop for the hand off. We arranged the details the previous day. The kitties were about eight weeks old. I asked for a male kitten, and preferably stripped grey tabby rather than black and white. Tabby's seem to be more confident cats, in my experience anyway.

A furry little kitten was delivered to me in a parking lot, he looked a lot like Jack. Not in bulk or girth but in pattern and color. Such a cute kitten. I took him home to a kitten proof room I'd readied in preparation for his homecoming. He had food and water, a shallow box with blankets, one of which was a towel I had given my co-worker a few days before to keep with the kittens for a familiar smell, and a litter box. I spent some time showing him around and then I left to go to work. I had dropped Louie off with my parents the night before so the kitten would get settled in without him. Poor kitty, all alone in a new house away from his family for the first time. When I left he wasn't crying, he was exploring his new surroundings. I had a good feeling this would be a good confident cat friend for Louie.

Introduction
After I got off of work that day I went and picked up Louie and headed home quick. I put Louie on leash and harness to go inside so he'd be on good behavior. I was anticipating Louie to be very excited and maybe nervous about the new arrival. I led Louie around the house before heading to the room the kitten was in. He could smell something new before we even walked in the door.

When we got to the kitten's room, I found him sleeping in the box on his towel. Louie stuck his nose in there and bumped into the kitty. He stepped back and started to tremble. Louie does a strange thing when he is around new cats. Because Louie can't see, he doesn't know when he's about to be hit. He knows cats have hit him before so when he smells one he goes in to constant flinch mode. He tightens his jaw until his teeth start to chatter and he's blinking fast and hard. It's sad how nervous he is but it's funny how silly he looks. I talk softly to him telling him it's a nice kitty and keeping my hand on his back the whole time, with my other hand on his leash.The kitten woke up, looked at Louie and started purring the loudest I'd heard. He sat up, stretched and started to reach out and touch Louie's face with a gentle paw. Louie flinched, and the kitten did it again, ever so gently. Louie started to settle down, the kitten rubbed himself all over Louie's head. Love at first sight and smell to say the least.

Halford was sure Louie was his mommy. they were inseparable, and Halford didn't grow out of his puppy love. It was totally normal to find Louie sleeping with Halford draped across his neck or head. I called it his cat scarf. Louie loves to be warm and he loves touching someone, especially when he sleeps. We couldn't ask for a better kitten match.

Halford the scarf cat

We've had Halford since 2008 I think. He and Louie have never fallen out of love. Halford is still just a cool cat, I have many stories of the fun we've all had together.

What's with the Name?
Simple, the first day I brought him home. He was sleeping in my bed with Louie. I went into the other room to flip my record over on the turntable. It was Judas Priest. There, next to the song title was printed (Halford), giving Rob Halford writing credit. There he was. Rob Halford Kitty. Halford, a new friend.