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| Name: |
Dobey
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Age: |
Ten years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Orange tabby
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| Home: |
Cos Cob, Connecticut, USA
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Here
is Dobey, friendly, sensitive, and one extremely fortunate cat.
Although he makes his home in Connecticut now, he was born in Florida. He and his
two brothers were brought up north to the cat rescue place where I
volunteer. They joined a same-age litter of five rescued locally. I was
"in the market" for two cats, a male and a female. I fell in love with
Dobey at first sight, but had no clear choice as to a girl kitty. The
advice was, "Wait to see who he hangs out with. You can't adopt them
anyway until they're twelve weeks old." As time went on it became obvious: he
was good buddies with a frisky, bounce-off-the-walls tortie. And so it was
that Dobey and Diddle became housemates.
Dobey is, for the most part, a non-demanding, low maintenance cat
(compared to his "sister" Diddle). He loves his comforts; often when he's
nowhere to be found, just look for a feline lump on the bed. There he'll
be cozily burrowed under the covers! When up from a nap he'll throw
himself on the floor, hoping for a belly rub. Despite his fondness for
lengthy snoozes, he loves a good play session. In response to the nightly
call, "Who wants to play?" or just on his own, he'll come trotting to lead
the way to the play area. At night - sleep again! - he makes himself
comfortable lying on my legs. Insistent nibbles on any exposed finger are
his wake up call.
Both cats get safe exposure to the outside world. An outdoor screened-in
"cat porch"provides a sniff of fresh air and an up-close view of nature.
Being harness-trained, Dobey and Diddle can lounge and explore in the
garden while, with a watchful eye, I tend to outdoor chores. Dobey has
claimed a catnip plant in one border as his own. Each spring in
anticipation he inspects the plant for emerging growth. When it is full
grown his great delight is to rub, roll, or just lie beside it.
Disaster struck early last August. My usual cat sitter was away and
somehow, with another caregiver on duty, Dobey escaped and was gone! All
the flyer posting, calling, searching, and praying yielded nothing. Days
turned to weeks; August changed to September! It seemed tragically evident
that Diddle was destined to be an "only cat." Then finally on the 40th day
I received a call from Animal Control. They said that a family (3/4 of a
mile up the road) had captured a cat that looked like the flyer photo of
Dobey; I should come and see. Miraculously it was Dobey!!! He had lost 1/3
of his body weight and was very frail, but seemed otherwise okay. A visit
to the vet confirmed that he was in good shape. Everyone was ecstatic that
he was back home! Everyone, that is, except Diddle. She regarded him as a
foreigner, and greeted him with growls, hisses, and swats. Thankfully
peace was restored in a few days as she came to accept the "new cat." Now,
of course, they're good friends again. With lots of TLC, and monitored
feedings, Dobey regained his weight and is in robust health.
Thinking about his jumpy, scared-y cat nature, it is impossible to imagine
how he survived on his own out in the woods for 39 nights! He most
certainly had a feline guardian angel protecting him. Heartbreak ended
happily; lucky Dobey!
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