Happy Tail Oliver

I wasn’t looking for another cat. I already had 2 cats at home. I had lost my 14 year old cat a year prior and missed deeply her, but was happy with the other cats. I was simply there to volunteer to socialize cats and I met “Mister.”

He was a handsome, shy man that growled at everyone. He didn’t want anyone to look at him because he was afraid. I decided my time would be well spent sitting with him. I sat down on the floor of his kennel and talked to him and gave him to slow blink. Finally, after 30 minutes, he blinked back. With that, I told him to be a good boy and be sweet and get adopted.

On the following Saturday, I came back again to volunteer and took time to sit with him again. This time, he hopped over to me and head began head butting my face. It was at that point I saw he had an injury and was missing 1/3 of one of his legs. Many visitors walked by and looked shocked when they saw his leg. I knew that he would still have a happy, healthy life even with that. He didn’t want me to leave without him. He even tried to follow me out of his kennel. I called my family on the way home and decided my house was going to be his forever home. I processed his adoption online and picked him up on Sunday morning. He was growling in the carrier and then meowed when he heard my voice. I told him he was going to be “Oliver.”

When we went for his vet check at our regular vet, they thought he would do best having the partial leg amputated, so we moved ahead with surgery. As soon as 10 days after his surgery, he was running around, acting like the kitten he is instead of a grouchy old man.

He runs around the house playing with the other cats, sleeps with me every night, and is the most grateful cat ever. When he isn’t paying, he is my shadow, following me around the house. He demands that I get down on his level so he can give me “kisses” (head butts). He has even learned the command “kisses” and will come give them to me when I ask. He meows in a way that sounds like he’s calling, “MOOOOOM!” He is funny and lively and a big kitten. He filled the hole in my heart that my old cat’s passing left. I’m forever grateful and feel lucky that the universe blessed me with an Oliver and the relationship we have.