Great Cats for Great Homes

Cutie Pie’s Story Ohai there! I’m Cutie Pie, and although I’m probably only about 10 months old, I’ve had a lot happen in that short time. Things didn’t start out so good for me, but as you know, cats can land on their feet - and with the help of a Nice Lady, that’s what I did. Here’s my story. Right now, I’m learning how to be a proper house cat. I didn’t really learn this at the beginning of my life, because somehow I ended up on the streets by the time I was just a few months old. I am pretty sure I didn’t start out homeless, because some things about indoor living have been easy for me to pick up – for example, I have been perfect on using the litter box from the very beginning of my new life. So, I figure I must have learned the basics somewhere before? But I don’t know how I ended up without a home. I had another street cat for a friend, and he showed me a house where there was kitty food put out every night. Turns out they were watching me visit on a camera, and the husband of the Nice Lady gave me my name that way -- because I really am super-cute. I was visiting every night, and ate a lot of food there for a while, because it turned out that I got pregnant! I was eating for five! And I wasn’t getting enough food for all of us. One night, the yummy food was in this big wire thing. I didn’t want to go in to get the food, but I was SO HUNGRY that after half an hour, I just couldn’t resist any more. I went in there and SNAP! I was trapped! This scared me pretty good, let me tell you. I was taken inside the house and put in a small bathroom for the night. I tried and tried to find a way out, but I was stuck. This turned out to be a good thing though! Like I said, I was pregnant but nobody knew that -- because I was so hungry and skinny, I didn’t LOOK pregnant. Turns out, I only weighed five pounds! and I was so skinny, you could easily feel my spine. I spent a few days in that bathroom, mostly hiding on an old towel in a little cardboard box, with my tail tightly wrapped around my belly all the time, because I just didn’t know what was going to happen to me. I have since learned that a happy cat holds her tail up high! But right away I learned there was one huge benefit to being indoors: there was plenty of food, all for me! My kittens were born almost a week after I was caught, but they were way too tiny, and I didn’t know anything about being a mama cat anyway. So unfortunately, none of them survived for very long. They didn’t do anything to deserve that – I was just not able to eat enough, and then being trapped made me really scared. I hope they are in kitten heaven now. The Nice Lady promised me that would never happen to me again, and about a week later, she took me on a long drive to a place where they spayed me, and gave me shots, and a chip. I even had a paper collar with my name on it, and her name on it, too. This was my first experience of Belonging To Someone, and while it was still a little scary, it was so nice to be taken care of. For a few months now, I’ve been getting plenty of food, and back to a healthy weight. And I learned about PARTY MIX treats, which are just amazing. Who knew there was something even better than all the food you can eat? I’m now up to 7.8 pounds, which means I’ve gained over half my original weight, and I feel so much better. I even look better. My coat is sleek and shiny now, and my body looks athletic, instead of skinny. But I’m still a pretty tiny cat overall, although I prefer the term “petite”.​ Since I began to feel better, I began to be more active, and less scared of everyone. I started experimenting with making a little tiny “meow” when the Nice Lady or her husband comes into my room, and I don’t run under the big chair all the time any more, either. And I’ve learned about things called “toys”, and WOW! Those are the BEST! About a month into my new life, I just couldn’t get enough of toys. My very first one was a feather wand, but now I am an expert at chasing the “red dot”, as well as kicking kick toys, chasing ping pong balls, playing with the strings on sweatshirts, and the turbo scratcher... If I say it myself, I am super-fast and I have mad hops! And I still have a soft spot for anything with feathers. (And by a “soft spot”, I mean I try to kill it.) I have to admit, though I’m still playful and active, I’m a little less obsessed with toys now. The reason for that is, I am learning CUDDLES as well. At first, when I was really scared, I was pretty cuddly because I just needed a lot of reassurance and security, and being held made me feel a little safer – kind of like being safe in my little cardboard box. Then there was that month or so of being toy-crazy, and now I’ve figured out that there’s kind of a happy medium, where there’s these things called “laps” that you can sit on, and get “pets” and even brushies. Sometimes you get your claws clipped, too, but that seems to be a small price to pay for having your own human to snuggle up to. I’ve been trying to figure out how to purr, to show my appreciation, but I’m not very good at that yet and it’s awfully quiet. The Nice Lady says she can feel it, but not really hear it. So instead, I do a lot of “air paws” and sometimes I give a few little licks, to show her how much I like her. Once in a while, I get so relaxed, my tongue just pokes out! I was embarrassed about that, but Nice Lady calls this a “blep” and she thinks it’s adorable. All that’s not to say I don’t still get a little kitten-crazy once in a while, and okay, sometimes I will suddenly jump up and run around the room as fast as I can! But I’m definitely learning to appreciate ALL the benefits of being a safe, loved, grown-up cat. I like to sit and look out the windows of my room, but I don’t think I ever want to go back out there to live again. Unfortunately, it turns out that another cat hit the jackpot before I got here. She’s a beautiful white long haired cat named Chimay Blanche, and she HATES me. I’m just curious about her, but the few times I’ve seen her, she just sits far away and hisses and growls. I think that’s kind of rude – she won’t even sniff me! – but I guess she was dumped as a young kitten, too, and she never had a cat friend like I had. I don’t think she knows that cats can be friends, which is sad. I’d like to show her how to be friends, but I don’t think she will let me. So I don’t want to go, and the Nice Lady doesn’t want to give me up – but I can’t stay in this bedroom forever, so I’m going to have to find somewhere else to live. As you can see from how well I’m doing now, after all I went through, I’m pretty resilient, and my personality is still developing, so I don’t think it will be too hard for me to adjust to a new place. I do need some time to get comfortable with new people, noises, and situations -- but once I get used to things, I’m perfectly fine. And I really need a “happy ever after” ending to my story! I must go to a quieter, indoor home only and would prefer older, respectful kids or an adult only home. I have never been around dogs, so a mellow, cat friendly dog may be ok if we were introduced slowly. I would love a cat friendly cat buddy to hang out with and plenty of toys to play with and owners who love me dearly and want to play with me and cuddle with me. - INDOOR ONLY - Adoption fee $125