Cat saga

No, this is not #18...

Say hello to Oliver. He has quite a story. And after he is neutered and vaccinated tomorrow, he is going to a super-loving home in Ottawa.

Oliver is safe in our barn right now, but he has had a traumatic time of things.

A few weeks back, he started hanging out at the facility my friend works at. It is a huge place, and clearly he was dumped. He is perhaps 10 months old (I will get a better guesstimate from my vet.)

He liked the kitchen area of this place, so the staff put out a blanket for him and started feeding him and cuddling him. He is SUPER DUPER CUDDLY and calm, friendly and sweet.

After about a week or two of this, my friend talked to me about him and we decided that he would come here and I would adopt him out. So a week ago this past Friday, he was due to arrive.

But the Thursday night before, a rather dubious member of the building's staff up took Oliver home, even though he knew we were going to rehome him, and even though he has two cats and two dogs in his apartment already, and even though he has a reputation as a sh*tty pet owner.

So of course everyone worried about Oliver, and begged the guy to bring him back if he changed his mind.

Instead he threw Oliver out on the streets of Cornwall a few days later, on the night of a raging thunderstorm.

We were all incensed and thought we would never see this cat again. He was tossed out last Wednesday. My friend and her co-worker and a sister started searching for him Thursday.

This past Friday morning, I got a call. Oliver had miraculously been found, and was on his way to the farm. My friend's sister found him sitting on a sidewalk in the worst part of Cornwall, an area full of feral and uncared-for cats. She scooped him up and brought him here. I think what saved him is the fact that he is so calm and outgoing. Other cats would have hidden away.

And so, Oliver is now safe. Tomorrow he is being neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and health-checked, and then he is going to what I think will be his dream home in Ottawa, where he will live as in indoor cat with a new sister. If there are any issues, he will come back here, but he is such an awesome, laid-back cat, I really think this will work out!

Right now he is catching up on some beauty sleep and getting lots of love and attention from us and anyone who visits the farm.

And a POX on people who dump and abuse animals! We are all so grateful this story will have a happy ending... so many don't.

Yay, Oliver! And yay me for not keeping him... I don't need 18 cats! And I promised Gordon I wouldn't keep him, and Gordon believed me. He is always so supportive of my animal rescue endeavours.

Send good thoughts for Oliver for a smooth neutering tomorrow, a swift recovery, and a long happy life as a cherished furry family member.