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| Name: |
Ralphie
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Age: |
Eight years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Domestic Short-hair
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| Home: |
Mentor, Ohio, USA
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Ralphie
was a big gray boy that started showing up at our back about four
years ago. We would leave food out for him, but he was way too skittish to
get near, much less pet. But one day shortly before Christmas '06, Ralph
came to our back door bleeding profusely from a big gash on his head. When
my wife opened the door, this time he came right in. She somehow got him
into a cat carrier and took him to the vet. After the vet treated his
wound, he also told my wife that his preliminary bloodwork showed that he
had tested positive for FIV. The vet encouraged us to put him down right
away. My wife didn't want to do that, but we didn't want to put our other
cats in jeopardy, either. But, we decided to bring Ralphie home, and have
the other guys vaccinated.
Now, nearly four years later, Ralphie is as healthy as a horse. He's
gained about four pounds over those four years, and is just a solid chunk
of a cat. He has a ton of personality, alternating between sweet and
crabby. He has an odd voice, and makes all kinds of strange noises not
normally associated with a cat. He just kind of grumbles when he's by the
front door, and one of his barely tolerable feline housemates wants to
have a look with him. He also makes a weird kind of crackling, rolling,
rumbling squawk when he wants one of the cats to get out of his way. We
call it "the Predator." If you've ever seen that movie, imagine the noise
the Predator makes coming out of a seventeen-pound gray cat. But he's also
a sweetheart, and loves to stand on either of our chest (not too
comfortable for us!), and knead away, purring contentedly, while he gets
his face, head, and cheeks scratched. Ralph is just a cool-looking and
cool-behaving cat, although there is not a less dignified looking sight
than watching Ralphie try to awkwardly gallop away from one of the
youngsters trying to chase him around the room. He finds very little humor
in that, though.
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