V is for Vinny

 

Vinny is a two year old, black and white cat that my brother and his wife recently adopted from the Humane Society. My brother is a Cat Socializer there once a week; and finally broke down and brought a cat home for his very own

If cats have the ability to think about their life, then Vinny must think he’s hit the Mother Lode. After growing up in the confines of the Humane Society Shelter, he must feel truly blessed that he finally has a home.

Now, growing up at the Humane Society is not exactly like growing up in the ‘projects’ (television education, sorry), that would be a feral cat’s plight. But to quote Dorothy, an authority on such things “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

Did I just compare my brother to Auntie Em?

Funny, my brother has never had a pet, and Vinny had never had an owner. They were made for each other, both coming at this pet thing with fresh eyes and no preconceived notions.

I can understand why Vinny, of all the cats, gained their attention. Each cat that is available for adoption has a history that tells where the cat came from. It helps in looking for placement to know whether the cat had been in a home with other cats, or children, or was wild, you get the idea.

I may not have the facts exactly right, but basically, Vinny has lived his life at the Shelter. Whether he was born there, or was a newborn litter drop off, I don’t know, but the fact is he has never lived anywhere else.

I’ve learned a lot about the animal shelter through my brother’s experiences and know that the animals in their care are tended well, with an eye to more than just their physical needs. Which is where the socializing comes in. This is a time for each cat to have individual human contact and playtime outside of the cage. The cats are allowed to play with the toys, play with the human, or just watch out the window, for this is their time to do as they want.

All of Vinny’s litter mates were adopted, but not Vinny. How sad that in two years no one who came to the shelter saw him and…wanted him. Because we all know there is no better feeling than to be loved and wanted.

 

From everything my brother has said, the settling in period has been…interesting. Like the Sunday morning 6 am wakeup call, or the 1 am playtime. The cat had to learn how to do stairs, and once he did, my brother had to learn that a small four legged body could screech by him on the stairs with no warning.

There is a neighbourhood cat that often visits my brother, and would often stay for hours at a time. The visitor cat and the resident cat have not come to peaceful terms as yet, each still staking out their territory. Good thing the Shelter believes in preventive parenting, Vinny being a male and the visitor female. My brother could have had a “Who’s your Daddy?” moment when the neighbour cat and her litter of kittens showed up at his door.

You have to be careful with cats, having one just seems to become having two…or maybe more. I had a cat, and then got him a friend so he wasn’t alone. The cats make you think it’s all your idea, but I don’t know, they’re sneaky that way.