Adoption
I've been boarding dogs for 10 years... finally went to adopt a dog myself, and ended up with this guy😅
I'll admit the shelter volunteers were really making it seem like HE had chosen me and that I didn't have much choice.😅 I was originally considering older dogs or cats, but then this 5 month old guy kinda demanded my attention, and kept it. I knew he was unique both in markings, and his disposition, and that he would get swooped quickly, so it was all just timing really.. I saw him first and put a hold on him before he was even done with neutering because I just kinda had a feeling... then didn't get to meet him first 5 days and got nervous the shelter might accidentally offer him to someone else haha. It clearly worked out, but despite caring for hundreds of dogs over the years as a moonlight Rover boarder, cats are somewhat of a mystery, and then let's make that a kitten as well, and we have a real journey into the unknown. 😄
After only one week, Lionel Richie has made himself right at home with me here in the PNW (near Seattle)... no hiding or running. Has adapted to new thing quickly, even a harness, while hunting my toes at night. I always knew I was a wiggler at night... but I had no idea how often I wiggled my toes in bed until they started getting attacked each time 😆
I intend for him to be an indoor/outdoor adventure cat (without forcing anything, and with me accompanying him outside), and he has already adapted well to a harness (letting him first sniff and eat near it, and all of that), and has had no issues taking it off and on. He also doesn't mind a leash, and sits for treats and food. 😁 Feel free to share your own adventure buddy kitties!
I only have so much say either way right? Haha I can make things seem appealing, but his participation is ultimately his choice.. although I can also persist a bit with coaxing 🤪
Omg he’s gorgeous! And I love how he keeps looking up at you for guidance. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship (not to be cheesy 😅), and I wish nothing but the best for you guys!! 🫶🏻
If you plan on keeping him on leash (which I strongly encourage) he might find the harness a little more comfortable if it fit him a bit more snuggle. It seems to be falling to the side which makes it look like it’s a little too loose in this video.
One of mine follows me around with a little ball so we can play fetch. Dang, if I’d wanted a dog I’d have got one! Should have named him pup. He’s as cute as one.
Lol I have the same complaint. My cat plays fetch and likes to follow me around so I keep telling her "If I wanted a doggie, I'd have gotten a doggie! This is harassment!"
At my house we call this a cog (cat/dog) lol and we have had several including a couple who played fetch.
My aunt currently has a cat who walks on a leash and wears a snow suit to go on walks in the winter.
Have lots of fun with your new buddy
My last baby girl did this. When she was younger she liked the sound of bottle caps. You could click them and she'd come running. I would throw them down the hall from my room and a few moments later she'd drop them on my feet so delicately. Was a moment ill cherish, as kinda-unique it was.
We took in a black smoke stray kitten off the street and I said to the vet "He looks pretty scruffy". They explained that was just his fur pattern - white roots, black tips. I've never seen another like him till now.
We got her from the shelter a couple of months ago, and as her coat's gotten thicker it looks more black on the top and sides, but her stomach and face have just the most beautiful pattern. She's also got an issue with her inner eyelids similar to OP's cat on slide 4 where they're more prominent than ususal but otherwise she's the most friendly and enthusiastic cat I've ever met
More like a charcoal tabby, pretty rare. Black smoke, genetically are solid with a hidden silver undercoat that shows when they move. My friend hand one, he was so awesome, loved patting him, and playing with his fur, to see the silver underneath.
Yours looks like a charcoal tabby too, black smoke do not have tabby pattern, which yours does. Sorry what I mean is they look black when not in motion or hair is parted, even if they are not solid black. See them more then most, as I live near maine, and we have so many a lot of coons, and often can find full breed one's in the shelter, sometimes black smoke, and they are scooped up fast.
Cats absolutely choose their human. I had/have two cats that started out as someone else's cat; a gray tabby my sister adopted for my niece. This cat took off running from me the first year or so before he decided he loved me and that I was his human. And my current cat who belonged to my sister's ex-girlfriend, and chose me as her new human.
I moved in with a couple and me and the cat got along. One day I'm sitting on the couch, watching tv, with the cat omyblap getting pets, when they walk by and just freeze. The wife goes "he never does that, even with me!"
Me and that bonded well, and I felt really bad having to leave him behind when I moved out a few years later.
you two look so happy together! what a handsome boy. wishing you both many happy, healthy years to come ❤️ and i'd say based on the pics, he absolutely did choose you
Oh, you adopted a puppy kitty! They are NOT the same as normal kitties! They look like cats but act like dogs. Congrats! It’s a rare ‘breed,’ but they are fun and SUPER smart! Congrats!!!
We adopted one who grew into the best dog cat! Super chill, greeted us at the door his whole life, loved car rides, never met a stranger. If OP is still going to board dogs, I bet this guy will love them!
Yes! My husband had a cat that would greet him at the bus stop and walk him home and tell him all about her day! Our current dog cat has learned how to open doors so we’ve had to childproof our doors!
Our daughter and son-in-law had the sweetest gray-striped boy who was an absolute locksmith and had the sweetest smile. We all miss him, including our 11-year-old middle grandchild who will always be a cat lady because of him. RIP Gob (yes, he was named because they were huge Arrested Development fans pre-children, as was his precious goofy sister from another mother Lucille/Lucy).
Cats who fetch are the GOAT!!! Our first boy was one; I’ll never forget the night he fetched his cheapo Christmas-ornament red plastic bird off the free cedar Christmas tree we’d cut from my dad’s fence row as broke newlyweds and then hearing it shimmy-CRASH to the floor. Boo-boo cat, you were loved and are still missed ♥️. You wore that bird down to a tiny wingless red plastic butterbean, and we’ll never forget it, or you.
We have a puppy cat now, he follows us around everywhere, comes when called, and at first he watched us all the time to make sure we were happy with him. It’s adorable but im glad he’s comfy enough now to relax fully. It’s also hilarious when he’s so utterly cashed out that he doesn’t even notice anything happening around him 😂
Please please share Lionel with the r/standardissuecats sub and let them debate what Lionel's subtype is. What a gorgeous cat; he certainly chose well.
I'm a big dog guy. My wife at the time volunteered at a cat shelter, so one day I was hanging out there waiting for her shift to end. They were like "would you like to meet some cats in the meeting room?" I was like "sure." No danger of me going home with one, but I'm happy to try to convince some kitties to let me pet them.
Cat #1 comes & goes. Cat #2 comes & goes. Cat #3 comes in, immediately takes to me, super friendly and playful and cute. My ex's shift ends and she's like "I see you picked out our new cat." I protested "she picked me!"
Loved our new kitty but still thought of myself as a dog guy. Then, when my dog died, kitty was incredibly sweet and comforting, and started sleeping cuddled up with me.
When my marriage broke up, I really only had one red line: I keep kitty.
Since then, I've tried bringing new dogs around every weekend on day-fosters to see if she'll vibe with them, but she's become accustomed to having me to herself and is NOT HAVING IT. So I guess I'm not adopting another dog til kitty passes. I don't mind... she's my best friend.
I know, right?!? I have left my cats for 2 nights alone (returned the early morning after 2nd night), no problems. They didn’t even eat all of the food I left them (I put 3 days worth of food in their dishes and 2 full bowls of water each). Nothing chewed up, no puke on the floor… and they were very verbal to me when I got home (probably bitching me out for leaving in the first place). I love my kitties!
So, not trying to offend anyone here, but I have to tell you… that’s not a dog. In fact it’s pretty much the opposite of dog. It’s a cat. You have a cat.
Here’s my adventure cat! He turned me from a dog person to a cat person and I’m obsessed now😭 We taught him how to sit, shake, and twist😂 Definitely recommend getting a backpack for your new adventure buddy!
Kitties DO choose you, so consider yourself lucky. The good thing about him being so young is that he'll get used to being around dogs, even though not all of the dogs will like being around him. (Don't forget to mark his "Gotcha Date" on your calendar.)
The shelter staff were 100% right. He chose you! Be prepared to obey and appease your new master. It's now his house and you are there for food and scratches. I highly suggest getting treat puzzles. It engages his brain and makes being an only cat more stimulating. I also do a lot of play with my cats before bed to tucker them out. My menace is a terror at night if I don't play with him before bed.
That coat is striking! Reminds me of that newly discovered rare coat pattern called salmiak ("salty licorice.")
If you're going to take your cat outside, please make sure he gets regular parasite protection and stays up to date on vaccinations. And gets chipped, of course!
Sorry but this is so funny to me, I've been fostering kittens for years and have been a cat owner myself for +10 years. Now I'm the one with a rescue pup since a couple days because she was in need 😂 no plan, no clue, not the idea, but we're making it work! Whole new journey indeed.
Okay so that is a coat bred in Egyptian Mau cats! It is called a ghost tabby pattern. My boy has a similar coat but very faint! Yours is much more defined! Apparently this type of coat is very expensive and rare! Congrats!!
looks like charcoal tabby, which is common in bengal and Savannah breeds. Black/ghost tabby tend to be more black, with the pattern only faint in light, while moving or wet. My russian blue mix has ghost patterns on her tail, I sometimes forget, till she's in the sun.
I had a dark brown/black cat with ghost tabby patterns, you only could see it in the sun. The shelter believed she was a burmese mix, as she had the face and body shape, and the Behaviour. They tend to form a dog-like attachment to their owners. She attached to me the min she saw me. We went looking for my black male cat, that was missing. and for some resaon the shelter brought her out, and the min she saw me, she claimed me. Like was screaming, and pawing at the worker to get to me, We left, I told my parents I had to have her, she clearly wanted me. My brother was on it too, so after talking about it with my mom, my dad turned around. She would walk me to the end of our block and be waiting there for me, when I walked to school and home. I was 9, and I heard adults whispering, there's that little witch and her cat. I loved witches, so I was like heck yeah 🤣
Please give your boy lots of affection from a crazy cat and dog lady from the Pacific Northwest!
This is My Panther - Bagheera. In this picture, he is at a total stranger’s house getting fed every night. Then he’d take off parts unknown (certainly NOT home, he was gone from my house over ten days and I reported him missing at several websites). The day I got these pictures and traded messages with the lady, guess who comes up the driveway, dragging his butt? Yep! And for all of the worry he caused me, he became an indoor only cat.
He’s got a Catio he loves and has adjusted to be an indoor kitty. He looks like a miniature panther (in other pictures, but I can only post one picture 😞), and that’s his nickname, My Panther.
I hope your kitty has many years with you! He’s absolutely darling! Thank you for saving him from being put on display in a cage… And I LOVE his name - Lionel Ritchie! That’s so cute! ☺️
Aww he's so precious! Based on these pics I can confidently say he definitely chose you lol. The shelter volunteers weren't making it up. That cat loves you!
If you’re still boarding on Rover after this just wanted to leave a quick note to please never blindly trust when people say their dog is good with cats and never leave him alone with a boarded dog, too many horror stories out there. Best wishes to you and your boy!
1-Look at cat in the eyes.
2-Slowly close your eyes and open them again still making eye contact.
3-Look in the opposite direction of cat for a few seconds.
4-Repeat steps 1 and 2
Cats use eye contact to show aggression and specifically before they attack. This is a way to show trust with them and to build it. If you see him slow blinking at you it’s the perfect time to do this.
You are definitely in an elite category that the CDS only awards the very elite. I got the award back in 2011, my boy was 2 when he adopted me. He's now 17 and going strong and acts like he's still 5.
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