Onyx - The Cat With Dog Characteristics

When someone meets Onyx, their first comment is generally something like: “My, he’s so friendly -- he’s acts more like a dog than a cat!” He’s fearless. When the doorbell rings he’s the first one to answer it – greeting whoever is there with a rub on their leg and a warm “meow”. And maybe that was his demise.

Unlike the retirement cats we previously introduced, Onyx was not an “”owner turn-in” -- he was a “stray”. His family had less than 10 days to claim him before the shelter would move him from the hold area to the euthanasia room (because of his age) – if he was (or appeared) feral they have no obligation to hold him at all.

You may think that 10 days is sufficient for someone to claim their cat. Think again. If Onyx, for example, was an indoor cat, his family would have been out full-time looking for him during the first week or so that he got out. After that, they would grieve his loss and give up on finding him. But the odds of a cat being taken to a shelter during the first 10 days they’re missing are pretty slim -- here’s why.

If a cat is outgoing (like Onyx) -- and he’s seen alone outdoors by a cat Samaritan -- they often jump to the conclusion that he is lost or abandoned -- not considering the possibility he may be an indoor cat with outdoor privileges and be standing in front of his own home -- not lost or abandoned.

To “help” the cat, they pick him up and take him home and debate what is best for him. They may decide to keep him as their pet – if he fits in with their other pets – or they may network to find a permanent home with someone else – or try to find a no-kill shelter to take him. Hopefully they also contact veterinary clinics and shelters to report finding a lost cat. Only after these options all fail, the cat is taken to the animal control shelter. This may be weeks – or months – after the initial rescue. Long after the time the typical family quit looking for their beloved pet.

Another problem in rehoming lost cats is that many shelters are very protective of their stray holds and refuse to give out information over the phone requiring -- their guardians to physically visit the hold area to see if their cat is there. Few keep track of who is reporting their lost pets and so if months later the cat shows up, they don’t make any attempt at matching the stray cat to an earlier report. The likelihood of retrieving your lost cat from an animal control shelter is abysmal. Our local shelter, for example, in 2007 rehomed only 68 cats -- out of an intake of almost 3,000.

We’re glad we were there to take Onyx -- but are sad that someone else lost him -- and may still worry about what happened to him. Unlike seeing a cat through to a natural death,there is no closure when the cat simply disappears into thin air.

Onyx has been with us since January, 2003. He wasn’t a good candidate for our Older Cat foster program because he gets nippy when he’s excited. That’s been okay -- for Onyx truly relishes the company of other cats – the more the merrier. You often find him sleeping or grooming another cat – and start to wonder if he could be part dog – but then he jumps up on your lap, curls into a ball and starts purring loud rhythmic purrs and you know he’s definitely a cat – a sweet, friendly, curious and delightful cat.

Gloria Uses Up One of Her 9 Cat Lives

Imagine this. You’re a ten year old cat who’s been the constant companion of an elderly woman living alone – it’s probably been years since you’ve been outside. You’re happy and content – you have nice sleep spots, a ready supply of food, a roof over your head and a person totally devoted to you. Then one day your world gets turned upside down. Your companion is still there but she doesn’t bring your dinner and you’re starting to get hungry.

Time passes --hours? --days? You hear the front door open and you don’t know who it is so you run under the bed. You crunch up as small as you can and don’t make any noise – all you want is for the strangers to leave, and your “mom” to bring you some food and tell you everything is okay. Instead, the strangers take your mom away, and start hunting for you – she’s passed away and left you homeless.

The strangers don’t know how sweet and kind you are -- and are afraid to reach for you -- thinking you may bite and scratch. Failing to lure you out from under the bed with sweet talk, they leave for awhile but then come back – this time with a live trap baited with food – something you haven’t had in quite awhile. They leave you alone again and the hunger is just too much. You venture out from under the bed and into the live trap. Forgetting how scared you are, you inhale the food, but then realize you’re trapped and begin feeling even more scared and abandoned than you did before.

Then the strangers return to find you in the trap. They pick it up and carry you off to the local animal shelter. This is a nightmare! When you get there they tell the staff what little they know about you – you’re around 10 years old and your guardian just died.

The staff sees you in the live trap and assumes you’re feral – even the sweetest cat comes off that way scared stiff inside a live trap. They take you directly to the euthanasia room and bring out the pentobarbital. But wait … a very observant staff member notices you’ve been declawed – and, since few feral cats are – asks the euthanasia tech to wait while he makes a phone call to us to see if we have room for another old cat. We do, so you’re taken out of the euthanasia room and put in the hold area for us to pick up. Whew!

No this isn’t a bad dream it’s what really happened to Gloria in 2002. She was scared and nervous when we first got her, but calmed down into a sweet, shy cat that really likes to be with people. We fostered Gloria to another elderly woman who was looking for an experienced companion cat to share her apartment. They hit it off pretty good -- although Gloria continued to hide from their guests – including our visiting volunteer who had to get on the floor and evaluate Gloria’s condition from under the bed. But when Gloria and her foster mom were alone together they enjoyed each other’s company immensely.

After a few years of being together, Gloria --- accidentally without meaning it -- nipped at her foster mom giving her a puncture wound. This was dangerous because she would get infected and had to seek emergency care. This only happened twice -- once while she was combing Gloria’s hair, and once when they were playing. Since cat bites can be very serious, we couldn’t risk a third incident, so we removed Gloria from the foster home. She’s been back with the other cats since 2005 and has adjusted well to group living. Best of all her nipping has stopped entirely – provided we don’t try to comb her.