I have a friend who runs a local cat shelter called Wildrun. Since her husband left two years ago, she’s been trying to stop running the shelter. And I know some of her adults have been there a long time. I’ve visited the shelter and given cat blankets and catnip toys regularly. And I met Tiger Tom and some of the other cats who live in the Long-term Care room. According to her Petfinder Page, Tiger Tom had lived at Wildrun since at least August of 2005. That’s almost six years in a shelter. That’s too damn long. So we had room at the food bowl, and there was a cat who definitely needed a home. It was a very easy decision, except that we also wanted to take Wings and maybe Bug, and some of the other cats who have been there a long time. But I can’t afford to take them all. I know this, and it’s hard not to. We agreed to take him, even before I dragged Jazz off into the wilderness to meet the cat. Wildrun is almost an hour away by car, not to slight the wonderful no-kill right here in my town.

Susan, the lady who runs the shelter, agreed to arrange for an Exit Vet Visit, which indicated he would need dental work. This was arranged, and it was also arranged that he would recover in the shelter, in familiar territory, where he could be reached and pilled easily if needed. And then Susan brought him here last month on a Sunday. She brought a box from Petfinder that doubled as a hidey hole, where he promptly moved in.

He hid for two days in his box. Then he hid for two days elsewhere in the bathroom, which we declared his safe room. He let me pet him starting Wednesday, in terms of not running away when someone reached for him. But Thursday night, he actually responded to petting, including Rising Butt Syndrome. So we put the baby gate up in front of the Bathroom and opened the door, so he could see the household and still be safe. He stopped hiding in the bathroom. Two days later, the baby gate moved from the bathroom door to the office door. He found places to hide in the office, but also decided that my desk was lovely of an evening or early morning, and he could be petted then. We then took the baby gate down entirely, and everyone came into the office freely, and sniffed out where he hid, and ignored him when he wasn’t hiding. And slowly he hid less, and explored more of the house. The living room we knew would be the hardest room. It’s where the Dog spends his days, as does the Man who gets Excited and Yells things. For a scared cat, both are terrifying. So to sit between Dog and Man is Amazing. There are a few small things it would be lovely to see, but they’re little. We’ve chased him off a kitchen counter. I’ve had to rescue knitting from being chewed. He still hasn’t met the spinning wheel in action. But, he’s home and relaxed, and comes out during the day, and Demands petting. He drools slightly and makes biscuits. He’s a lovely boy.

This is Tiger Tom now:

Welcome to your home, Tiger Tom.