Joseph

 We've been listening to loud screechy cat fights all summer long. There’s a new stray tomcat in our neighborhood and he’s challenging all the outdoor cats that live around here (none of our kitties, since ours are indoors only). MamaLindy caught glimpses of him enough to know he was a black and white tuxie. 

 Our next door neighbor has a very pretty torbie named Momo who's been getting bullied by this guy,

and our neighbor said she’d like to catch him and take him to the local humane society.

I hadn't seen him until yesterday. He was right outside our front door meowing and meowing in a sing-songy speech.

I thought he was threatening Snafu and Owen who were plastered to the screens looking out at him. Both of them were very quiet and the black and white, fat-faced tom was looking directly at me. So I called out to him. That triggered a long low meow session from him and my heart sank. I felt he was telling me there was something wrong. 

I totally forgot he was the neighborhood terrorist and brought him a bowl of food. He was shy but didn't go very far when I came out to deposit the goods at a safe distance. Once I was back inside, he dug right into the bowl of kibble. In less than a minute he was rubbing on everything outside and I wondered if he’d spray us as his own, too. Thank God he didn't spray; he only laid down on the stoop and began washing up. 

 So I went out to take a closer look at him and see if he was injured. His face was beaten up, but mostly old wounds and he’d only one new scratch that looked swollen but not infected. He let me pet him a little bit then continued to eat. 

 When MamaLindy got home and went over to see him, he came right out to see her with only a little coaxing. He's bony, but not emaciated, had no collar, and his coat was unkempt with motor oil underneath a patch of matted burrs. He didn't fuss at all when she cut the patch off him with scissors. 

We agreed he needed to be neutered, and MamaLindy called a local dog shelter that offers inexpensive neuters on certain days. When she found out they were having a clinic that day and could do him right away, we felt it was fate. This black and white tuxie seemed to be asking us for help, so we had to do it even though it cost $75 (not as cheap as some clinics around here, but it was to include rabies vacc.). 

 So…we nabbed him! 

 Okay, so he pretty much walked right into the crate.

He didn't mind the car ride at all and lay down in the crate during our drive to the clinic. We had no plan for what to do with him afterwards, but at five o’clock last night, we picked him up. 

Meet Joseph!

We made a place for him in our workshop behind the house (only recently vacated by another pet project Foster Dog Maddie – now in her forever home).

Overnight he did not try to escape, he did not meow incessantly, he did not pee all over the place, but went in his litter box. 

 He’s incredibly friendly, playful, rubby, lovey, rolly and dirty!

Has this ever happened to any of you?  ;) 

He needs a home now. 

Help!

~MamaLisa