Looking to Adopt the "Unadoptable"
When I met The Reverend Banana Cake Batter Frozen Yogurt, he was still named Tango 6 at BARCS. He was fresh from the streets as a six year old and had a HUGE cancer lump on his back foot. He was incredibly sweet and loved rubs, and I was taken right away.
I had been living on my own for about a year and was getting lonely. Having spent my entire life at my parent’s house with cats, I knew that Froyo was just the man for the job.
By the time he was in a carrier coming home, Froyo was barely 24 hours out of surgery, where his back leg was amputated to prevent cancer. So when I got home, I set up my walk-in closet with everything he’d need: litter box, food and water, plenty of blankets and pillows, and a small mouse toy. I put a baby gate over the doorway so that he wouldn't wander too far and get stuck in a new place. He was a little unsure of his footing, but took his antibiotics like a champ and was not about to pass up pets anytime I offered.
That night, as I turned off the lights to go to bed, I heard the gate crash over. "Well, guess it's gonna be like that," I thought. But as I turned the light on, the gate was still up. As I'm staring at it, trying to figure out what was going on, Froyo pops up onto my bed and walks/hops over to me and lays down. From that night on, Froyo was stuck to my side, following me around, laying down with me and chasing the laser pointer with amazing speed. He truly was the sweetest cat.
About a year later, though, I learned that Froyo had more cancer, this time in his intestines. He was throwing up hourly and had lost a lot of weight. He was brought in for surgery to have the cancer removed, but it proved to be too much for him and he never woke up from the surgery.
Brokenhearted, I returned to BARCS a month later. There, I met Lil Spaghetti (then Bramble 4). Lil Spaghetti had just been brought in as part of a hoarding case—about 15 cats and one dog all crowded into a single room studio apartment in the city. Lil Spaghetti had a hole in the roof of his mouth and a missing right eye, not to mention all the normal issues like a URI. Frankly, he was a mess and pretty shy, but he still loved rubbing his face and getting scritches on his butt. I simply couldn't say no.
And so, a few days later, after his eye was sewn shut and he was neutered, Lil Spaghetti came home with me. It took him a lot longer to trust me and to acclimate to his new home. The first few months, he was very timid but always was so happy to get pets. Eventually, he very bravely ventured out of my bedroom to explore his home because he realized I can't say no to petting him.
Two years later, he’s grown a lot and has gotten over his shyness to develop a very needy/ sweet disposition. He absolutely loves tummy rubs and often will sit by my feet while I'm eating to give a long, soft meow, which I've learned means, "Hey, it's been about three minutes since you last pet me!" He hates being picked up and especially hates being crated to go to the vet, but he's quick to forgive you if you give him some good pats as an apology. He's definitely a Lil Spaghetti with “sweetballs.”
I'm so lucky to have found these two wonderful friends who have changed my life forever, even without all their feet or all their eyes. Anytime someone tells me they're thinking of getting a pet, I always point them to BARCS and tell them to look for the "unadoptable" cats: the older ones who might have some pieces missing, because I've learned firsthand that cats who have been dealt a pretty crappy hand can love you just as much, if not more, than others for giving them a forever home.
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