It’s Furry Friday! And this is one of the best times of year to adopt a pet. All of the stress of work, family, and holiday preparations can be swept away while cuddling your dog or cat.
Today’s adorable adoptable from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa is Groucho, and he is incredibly special to me. So, with apologies, I am about to write an essay:
You see, I gave Groucho his name because he was one of our porch cats. We always have 5 to 8 cats dumped in our neighborhood each year, and they somehow know to come to our house for food and care. Groucho started showing up about 15 months ago, then took up main porch cat status in January.
It took months to get him to trust us – for something besides food and water. But finally, early this summer, he gave in and started to let us pet him. He was tentative at first, but by the end of the summer, he couldn’t get enough. He wanted to be petted and rubbed under his chin for as long as you were willing; he even let us pet his belly.
It was about then that we started trying to scoop him up to go to the ARL (It took until October to finish that effort). Josh, Tom, Carol and the staff have taken in our strays for years. Sometimes they are a simple case of picking them up, giving them a bath, and they are ready for adoption. But often, like Groucho, they need extended medical care because they have lived on the street for far too long. And, they need additional socialization because, while they might trust my family, new people might be too much.
So, Groucho has been through all of that, and now he is ready for a new home. A forever home. He is FIV+, as kitties who spend too much time on the street often are. That just means that he needs a solo home or one with felines who also have the disease. (It cannot be passed to humans.)
And to that question of, “Is he good with other cats?” He certainly has been in the past often allowing other cats, especially girls, to eat first. But then, he has also been incredibly patient with possums and raccoons who have felt the need to gorge themselves on our porch. (We have some seriously fat wildlife in the Drake Neighborhood.)
If you have questions about my time with him, feel free to email me – kgarner@dsmradio.com. Honestly, if he wasn’t FIV+, even with 4 other cats, I would take him in, he’s that sweet.
Please Adopt, Don’t Shop. -Kate
