Second Chance Boys

Sometimes the best laid plans go awry.  I loved fostering Mee Deggi the Punisher, but I was thrilled when he found a home with another foster, Ed.  They were very well loved for about 4 months before they were returned at no fault of their own.  Someone in the family developed allergies.  Though a lot of people might question this after 4 months of living with cats, I know I developed allergies as an adult cat owner- after living with multiple cats for over a decade.  I developed hives and lived miserably in my skin for several years before I found a treatment that worked for me- I wasn't going to give up my cats.  But I was an adult making my own decisions and accepting my own torture. I believe children were involved in Mee Deggi's and Ed's home.  I don't really know the details, but I was assured the family was devastated by the decision to return the boys to the rescue.  

I picked them up on a Wednesday to keep them until they could go back for adoption on Saturday.  Mee Deggi seemed to remember his kitten room and settled in quickly, pushing his massive head into our hands for cuddles and following us around. He eagerly gobbled down treats between exploring the room. Ed, who had been fostered by someone else, was sweet but very reluctant to interact.  He slunk around the room, hiding in corners or settling a cautious distance away.  He would tense up and freeze if approached, but allowed us to pet him and would gradually relax.  Over the next few days, Ed followed Mee Deggi closer and closer to me and cuddles.  That's me under that golden blanket.  

Unfortunately, shortly after picking them up, I noticed that they had a LOT of crud in their ears and we discovered they had a nasty ear mite infection.  It's vaguely possible that their former humans didn't realize it and they were actually allergic to the ear mites and not the cats... but that was moot by this point.  The boys were returned in excellent condition, and Mee Deggi in particular has a lustrously smooth and clean coat.  Inexperienced cat owners may not have known to check the ears.  We started treatment immediately, but this presented a slight problem as I was scheduled to get a tiny new kitten Saturday afternoon.  The big boys needed to stay with me for at least 2 weeks, so I had to quickly create a new space for the little black baby.  It wasn't ideal, but the boys showed no interest in baby Guenhwyvar.  They were equally disinterested when Guenhywvar got a kitten friend- Drizzt Do'Urden.  

Things worked out well for nearly 2 weeks.  Ed was still warming up to humans while Mee Deggi could have been renamed Mee Deggi the Pitiful.  He wailed every time I left the room.  The boys ignored the littles, who ignored them right back.  If the boys were cuddled at my feet, I could take the babies out by my head and no one crossed paths.  We did a lot of laundry, but everything was under control.  Until... Ed decided he wanted kittens.  At the same time, the kittens decided they wanted OUT. 

To be perfectly fair, I blame Ed and we began nicknaming him Ed the Destroyer, because we believe he is the one who systematically began... destroying things.  But we never really catch him being destructive.  We might just hear a bang or a thump and when we look up or come into the room, there is Ed, sitting near something that has been toppled.  There's a small chance he's being set up by Mee Deggi the Punisher- who has always been known to be a little instigator.  Ed... he's just so orange.  He is fluffy and sweet.  He is so, so dumb.  But just under 2 weeks of having the big boys and the little bits, we started coming back to the tiny kitten pen in pieces and Ed cuddling with Guenhwyvar. We'd put it back together just to watch Guenhwyvar and Drizzt escape.  Even after that trash can and shark stool were removed, they persisted until they learned how to jump up and over without any elevated perch.  

After a few days of endlessly reassembling the mini kitten pen and making several failed attempts to barricade it more securely, I move the little bits into the wooden kitten loft and moved Ed & Mee Deggi's food/litter box out of the loft.  Then I went to my cousin's house for several hours for Thanksgiving.  When I returned home, SOMEONE (we blame Ed!!) had managed to unlatch the sliding wooden door and bust the little bits out of the kennel.  All four of them were lounging on the bed, thankful to be together! At this point, after about 5 days of fighting to keep them apart, I simply gave up and gave in.  

Guenhwyvar is particularly fond of her big brothers and loves to cuddle with them.  Though we credit Ed with breaking down all the barriers so they could be together, Guenhwyvar seems particularly infatuated with Mee Deggi.  

Having the little ones around seemed to really help Ed and Mee Deggi's confidence.  Mee Deggi stopped wailing constantly, though he is still fairly vocal.  He has also returned to being a bit of a fussy eater, like he was as a baby.  Mostly, he just eats kibble and isn't very interested in treats.  Mee Deggi the Punisher seems to have read the How To Be A Cat handbook and he took it to heart.  He demands attention while also consistently standing just out of your reach.  He will loudly complain about the emptiness of his food bowl when the first bit of the bottom of the bowl is visible, despite the mounds of food piled around the edges- then decide he's not really that hungry after eating three bites of food.  He manages to simultaneously be a helpless kitten who cannot exist without your love and attention AND a GOD FIGURE who allows you to be in his presence.  

On the flipside, Ed can't read the How To Be An Orange Cat guide because he, like all his brethren, is.... orange.  

If you don't know what that means, try looking up "all orange cats share one braincell".  Orange cats are known for being very sweet, very chaotic, and very dumb.  Very dumb.  Ed will sometimes dig a hole in one litter box, go poop in the other litter box, then cover the poop in the first litter box.  Ed now loves to come up to me for cuddles.  But he has no awareness of where his body is in space.  So when he flops down or rolls, he often slides off the bed.  It's a floor bed so only about a 6" drop, but he's always startled that his big 10 pounds of fluff don't actually fit on a 2" slice of bed.  Ed is never aware of what is around him. 

When I look at Ed, I often sing in my head:

I can tell from your vacant expression

The lights are not all on upstairs

But we're talking basic perceptions

Even YOU can't be caught unawares!

(If you didn't figure it out... it's the tune of Be Prepared, from the Lion King!)

But, alas... he can be caught unawares.  I present, exhibit A: 

Approaching me for cuddles, Ed failed to see Drizzt was already curled up near my belly. Ed blissfully dropped his body directly on top of Drizzt, who continue to sleep.  Mee Deggi, usually more mindful about the little bits, followed Ed in for cuddles and added his weight to the pile because he didn't see Drizzt. I pulled Drizzt out- still mostly asleep and content with his lot in life, despite being crushed.  You can barely see his toe bean sticking up between the boys.  Mee Deggi eventually wandered off, leaving a very content Ed, lounging on his Drizzt cushion.  

After a month of earmite treatment, the boys still had issues so they went to the vet.  It's unclear whether they developed an ear infection due to the ear mites or it might have been pre-exisiting, but they are now being treated for that infection so their time with me has been extended even further.  But things are beginning to clear up and these handsome boys will be ready for their new home in the new year.