Stripes

We first met Stripes almost a year ago, when he was at the Tipton Shelter marked as a candidate for their barn cat program. He's a sweet, lovable cat, but the reality was that as a big, adult, slightly scruffy retired tomcat, he had minimal chances of being adopted as an indoor pet. We wanted a better, safer life for him, so Purrfect Match pulled him from the shelter and it's very fortunate that we did because not only did he turn out to be FIV+ but he had significant urinary tract issues that required numerous trips to the vet and medications to finally get resolved. With Stripes' jumbo frame (he is almost 20 lbs) and suave, teddy-bear like personality, he became a HUGE favorite at MeowHouse, developing a cult following among the volunteers. In fact our talented Bonita even painted Stripes' portrait, which we hung in his condo. Several volunteers wished so much that they could take Stripes home, but that just wasn't possible, so we all yearned for the day when he might have his own home and family. Not only is Stripes FIV+, but he's a middle-aged cat, selective about the company of other cats and also on a pricey prescription food due to his urinary issues, so that is not an easy scenario to sell to an adopter.

Stripes’ shelter pic

Then one day last December, Liza messaged me. Liza is a great friend to PM and though she isn't local to Memphis, she has adopted 3 cats from us, supports us financially on a monthly basis and has also referred friends to us from her circle of animal loving friends who have adopted cats. She was writing to put me in touch with Veronica, a friend from her dressage horse community who had just lost her beloved cat Phin, and couldn't stand a home with no cat. I spoke with Veronica the following day and it was immediately clear that a cat would be incredibly lucky to be adopted by her family. They had visited a local Virginia shelter that morning and it was a bit overwhelming, not only trying to choose the right cat in a shelter environment, but also trying to find a middle-ground between Veronica's desire to adopt a "less adoptable" cat who would have a harder time finding a home and considering the right pet for her two young boys. After we talked and I learned a bit about Phin's personality and what sort of cat they were looking for, a little voice told me that Stripes might be perfect. They are one cat people and Stripes would love that scenario. Their last cat was jumbo sized and Stripes definitely hits the mark there! Veronica has 2 cat-loving boys and we know that Stripes loves kids. And with Stripes' "baggage" he would also check the box of adopting a cat who needed a special home! We talked about his FIV status and urinary maintenance issues and ended the conversation with Veronica geared up to discuss everything with her husband. They even ended up having a friend who is a vet tech come to their home that night to learn more about caring for a cat with these issues!

I was so excited when she told me the next day that they wanted to give Stripes a home!! Now we needed to work out logistics since Veronica's family was about 14 hours away in Virginia. A divine hand continued to guide this situation because once I shared all of this news with the PM group, I learned that one of our volunteers, Maria, was driving to VA that same week to go spend time with her parents for Christmas. So Stripes made the long journey with Maria and Veronica drove about 3 hours to Maria's parents' house the following morning to meet Stripes. Everything from this point forward was just as perfect as we ever could have hoped!

Roadtripping with Maria!

This was Veronica's most recent update:

"He is absolutely perfect!! He is my ever present shadow and constant companion. (Ever slept with a bowling ball under your arm?! ) He loves the kids and snuggles with them on the couch and takes naps in the top bunk (but no one can figure out how he gets up or down). He’s not a huge fan of his diet, but doesn’t complain (oh but to watch him waddle to the auto feeder!) We just love him to pieces. He loves his cat nip time and wrestles his scratching post. And LOVES to keep my wheelchair seat warm when I’m not in it (and is always a little miffed when I take it back.) And he’s starting to get the zoomies at the kids’ bedtime which they think is just the best thing ever. He found a bottle cap last night and turned into a madman!! Oh! And loves watching the birds at our feeders in the am. He trills and meows for 20-30 minutes and absolutely loses his mind if a squirrel or bird gets close to the glass door."

Stripes and Veronica

This story will have us riding high for a long time and we are just so grateful to Veronica and family for adopting a "cat with baggage," to Liza for putting the wheels in motion, to everyone who donated for Stripes' rescue expenses and to all of the wonderful PM volunteers who cared for Stripes so lovingly while he was with us. Fairy tales do come true!!!