ORPHEE AND ME

The relationship between Orphee and me is at a standstill. I can't figure him. He seems to become tense when I pet or take care of him; he definitely is more comfortable with Artie.

This concerns me - I do so want to establish a rapport with him outside of being the person who feeds him and cleans his litter box. The other day I was petting him, rubbing his forehead, his face and neck. When I finished I patted him on the head then rubbed under his chin. I've done all of this before but this time Orphee lashed out with lightening speed hitting me on the wrist very hard and leaving me with 3 puncture wounds.

I was surprised; I totally did not see it coming. He didn't meow, hiss or scratch. This was a slap and a hard one with no raking of claws. He didn't even change his expression or move an inch outside of wielding his front paw.

My guess is Orphee is probably more alpha than Buddy. For all his bossy ways Buddy was a gentle soul. Orphee is still living in the front hall. He won't come into my apartment and he generally heads for the stairs whenever he thinks Annie is coming to see him.

Will he ever warm up to me and Annie? Was the meowing, purring, rubbing up against me an Artie a good routine to secure a daily meal? These are questions we need to answer, and only time will tell.

I'M NOT READY...

Even though Annie is doing well, I find I'm not ready to post about her surgery. At some point I will but frankly I'm still emotionally flattened by what happened. It upsets me to write even these few sentences. Everyday I look at her and wonder how much longer will I have her with me. For now, Annie is happy and she appears healthy but I'm aware the clock is ticking. I want my sweet girl to be a cancer survivor like Buddy was.

Buddy had an amazing 5 years after his cancer surgery. What will Annie have?

SHELTER PETS

In one of our free newspapers I came across a 3 panel cartoon by The Shelter Pet Project illustrating the plight of a cat turned over to a shelter by an owner who accepted a job overseas. I decided to look up their website theshelterpetproject.org just to see what they're all about.

I encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting a cat or a dog to visit The Shelter Pet Project website as part of their search. It's easy - just put in your zip code and you will see pictures of pets at shelters near you along with their vitals and bios.

A great way to start a search and find some furry love...

ORPHEE'S JOURNEY

Our Orphee's journey, while not as epic a journey to the underworld and back as that of the mythological Orpheus, has been momentous none the less. From a life on the streets to one on our front porch then to our front hall it's been a big adjustment over the past weeks.

Orphee is becoming more and more curious about what's behind my apartment door. A few nights ago, I thought I heard scratching. It was late (around 3 AM) and I was heading off to bed but I stopped to determine where the noise was coming from. Could it be the cat? 

I opened the door and there he was looking up at me. He began to meow - talking incessantly  peeking into the apartment with all the curiosity of (what else?) a cat. Of course, I stepped aside to let him in but Orphee wasn't having any of it. Curious but wary, a surprising combination but I guess that comes from life on the streets. I see none of Buddy's fearlessness in Orphee.

He did venture in twice on his own but deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, beat a hasty retreat at the sight of Annie. And what of Annie?  She loves him, it's as simple as that. Annie will follow me into the hall trotting along happily while I feed him. They've been a few feet apart just staring at each other or more accurately he watching her and she looking at him longingly and crying. As soon as the intestinal parasite issues are resolved Artie and I will take the next step and try getting them together.