Conference misery::feline_v1

3094.0. "Introducing "Stormy Maynard"......" by ASABET::MCDONOUGH () Wed Nov 29 1989 19:04

    
    
       A week or so back----the night of the violent, "horizontal"
    rainstorm that we had the day after the tornadoes in the south, one of
    the folks in my department here in the Mill discovered a black cat with
    white feet trying to get into bldg 22. This guy thought the cat
    belonged to the apartments across the street, so he carried it over
    there and deposited it in the fenced in yard...(This was before I was
    aware of this situation.)
    
       The next day, AFTER this cat had spent the night and probably many
    more) outside, this cat was attempting to become "road-pizza" on Main
    Street in Maynard. So some of the ladies brought it into the building
    to keep it from being squashed by a car.
    
       Knowing that I and my wife are animal lovers, when I came in that
    morning I was greeted with "Come see the present we have for you...."
    which caused my eyebrows to raise slightly....
       So they take me into this vacant ofice and here is this little girl
    curled up on a vacant desk...fast asleep.
    
      I proceeded to walk over and lean over her, whereupon she raised her
    little head up, "mewed" softly, and proceeded to gently rub noses with
    me. I then told the people that brought her in that by noon she WOULD
    hane a place to live...either temporarily at "Concord Adopt-a-Cat" or
    at home with me and my "herd" of 10 dogs and three other cats.
    
      I then called my wife, told her the story, and she said "Concord has
    too many cats already....bring her home.
    
       So I took a long lunch and took "Stormy Maynard" home. When I got
    her into the car, she walked around to explore this new place, and then
    went down on the floor between my feet, wrapped both front legs around
    my left ankle, and with all four feet up, proceeded to fall asleep.
    
       When we got home, the first thing I showed her was the litter-box,
    which she used forthwith. Then a can of "fresh-catch" sardines was
    opened, which she dispatched with much enthusiasm, purring loudly all
    the while. She spent the most part of two days in the kitchen, on top
    of the counter. After about three days of hissing and posturing, her
    and "Cookie", our other young 10 month old kitten were observed eating
    out of the same bowl. Now all four pile into a laundry basket together
    for ZZZZZZZZZZ's. Stormy and Cookie are about the same age, are almost
    exact "negatives" of each other. (Cookie's white with a black tail,
    black stockings on here rear legs, and black spots on each ear.
    Stormy's black with a white belly, white boots and a white nose. They
    look like a couple of "tribbles" when they eat together.
    
      Stormy obviously spent some time outside, since hse was covered with
    about 20 big old burrs that she's picked up in the weeds somewhere. I
    spent some time with a manicure scissors, and was able to remove them
    without too much trouble. She DID get a bit tired of being manipulated
    near the end, and proceeded to turn around and grab my hand in her
    teeth, but it was more a "DAD!! ENUFF!! Leave me be fercripesake!!"
    than it was an attempt to bite me. She's a very gentle kitten, about 10
    months old, and medium-long-hair, probably un-spayed. Not a big
    problem, since we don't allow our kitties to go outside, and we have no
    unfixed males...
    
      So now we are a family of:
    
      (1) Two humans:
         John
         Julie
    
      (2) Four Cats:
         Smokey
         Miss Meow
         Cookie Mew
         Stormy Maynard
    
      (3) Nine dogs:*
          Sunny Beagle
          Betty Beagle
          Willi Dachshund
          Ruby Dachshund
          Brandy Labrador Retriever
          Dolly Mutt
          Teddy Mutt
          Buddy Mutt
          Dixie Mutt
     
    *(We had 10...I just lost a Beagle Sunday night due to age and a bad
      heart....he went to sleep and simply didn't wake up...I found him
      about five feet from me, with a peaceful expression on his face...
      No matter how many times I lose an animal, the PAIN is still as
      terrible and agonizing as the first time..R.I.P. Henderson, we love
      you!!)
    
    JMcD
       
    
      

    What a lucky little kitty she is.........and I love the name.  She
    sounds soooooooo sweet.  Glad she found you.  Good luck, with the
    gang.
    
    Karen

    I hate to put a damper on this, but when driving along 27 from BXB to
    PK, I noticed a large painted sign nailed on to a tree by the Cumberland
    Farms. The sign said LOST CAT and a phone number. There was some small
    print on the sign describing the cat, and if memory serves me correctly,
    it was a black and white cat. You can see the sign when you are on rt
    27 toward Maynard, not in the other direction.

    Deb

    I'm very sorry about Henderson.
    

    What a great story with a happy ending.  Wishing you much happiness
    with your new little one.
    
    Sonia

    What a wonderful story - and black and white cats have a real special
    spot in my heart.
    
    Sorry about Henderson.
    
    
    Giudi in SF (Pippin, Gino & Stitch Too)

    John - you truely are a wonderful person!!! 
    
    I'm very sorry to hear about Henderson and glad that his passing
    was so peaceful.  I've added his name to the Silver Lining Memorial
    and he'll be remembered along with Cleff the other dog who died
    this quarter.  Hope it helps.
      Nancy DC

      Thanks to those who entered condolences regarding Henderson. 
    
      Re the lost cat on rte 27...
    I answered this off-line, but thought it may be good to clarify here.
    Unless there are TWO signs, the cat that is lost isn't "Stormy". I did
    see a sign on 27, called and was told by the person that the lost cat
    was about 5 years old...Stormy's about 10 months... In a way I wish it
    was the lost one, as I know how I'd feel if one of my babies got lost.
    And we CERTAINLY were NOT looking for another family member when we
    acquired her, but it seems that we are somehow destined by some much
    higher power to be a haven for SOME lost and abused animals. We accept
    the task with a lot of care and enthusiasm, and have found that the
    return in love and affection FAR outweighs the work and expense
    involved in their care. 
    
      I know that most of the folks who read and write in this conference
    can understand what I'm trying to say...
    
    John McD

    Stormy sounds *adorable*.  What a neat name !!!!  Very appropriate.
    
    We're all *suckers* when it comes to these babies that need loving
    homes.
    
    But boy the love that we get in return is definitely worth it...
    
    Sandi (mom to THUNDER, LIGHTNING, STORM & DEJAVU too)
    
    
    

      Last night about five minutes before I went home (6-ish) I saw a
    black and white cat that MIGHT be the lost one!! It was wandering
    around in the INSIDE Mill parking lot. It SEEMED to be a much larger
    cat than "Stormy", which leads me to believe that it MAY be the lost
    one. Unfortunately, before I could get down there and attempt to see it
    closer-up, it disappeared.
    
      I'm gonna keep a lookout for the next few days at least to see if
    he/she turns up again....
    
    JM