“I’m the best mouser in the world and I’m beautiful too!” – Morgan
Back in 2013 I had three happy cats. Ok, maybe Jake was a little cranky but he was old and we older folks are allowed to be cranky sometimes. No intention of adopting another cat especially while Jake was alive.
Then I had extra towels and bedding. Our local shelter asks for those kinds of things for animal bedding. My big mistake was taking it over myself instead of having the beloved husband do it.
I dropped off two ginormous bags and asked if I could walk through the cat rooms. Bad idea. Really bad idea. There were forty cats looking at me, pleading with me to take them home. I broke out into a sweat. My knees got shaky.
A staff person was cleaning cages. She pulled out a one-eyed gray cat and put her in a small kennel until her cage was cleaned. The cat was so sad. I asked if she had lost her eye (I wasn’t sure if she was just winking) and the tech said she had. I asked if anyone would adopt her. She shrugged her shoulders. The cat had been there five months already. A long time. (Yes, I know some pets spend years in shelters.)
I was unsettled. I wept. I was so sad the beloved husband told me to go get the cat. I picked her up without knowing what her personality was like. (Another lottery winner! Ding, ding, ding!)
I thought the cat was old and special needs. She was about a year old, maybe younger and missing an eye is not special needs. There is nothing extra to do. No medications. No special food. She manages just fine. In fact I don’t think she knew she was missing an eye. (I caution guests to not mention it to her.)
I isolated her until all her blood tests came back negative. Then I introduced her to the group. Mollie and Hazel smelled her good. All over. In places that shouldn’t be smelled. I thought they were dogs!
Jake on the other hand, came over and whopped me on the head. “Cupcake, what were you thinking? There’s no room for more cats here!” He never did warm up to her. She tried to play with him once or twice and he whopped her. She kept her distance after that and peace returned to the house. That’s how I went from a three cat house to a four cat house.
This sounds like it was easy, doesn’t it? It wasn’t. After she joined the general cat population, her poop test came back. She had parasites. All the cats had to be medicated. Next week we’ll revisit the week from hell. Stay tuned. Oh yes and I’ll tell you why she’s the perfect cat!
It’s wonderful that you gave Morgan such a good life. I hate thinking of a cat (or dog) being in a shelter for even a short time, let alone months. I would ordinarily advise against walking through the shelters. A softhearted cat lover is in big trouble from the moment of entry! But in this case, I’m sure glad you did!
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I don’t take the towels over any more. My husband does. He plops them in the front door and skedaddles out. When I adopted Morgan there was a dog that looked just like a boxer in the office area. He greeted visitors and was very calm and laid back even with cats. I would have taken him home in a New York minute except for Jake. In the last years of his life, I didn’t want to subject him to anything but happiness.
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Morgan looks a lot like Chelsea, my Korat. Very pretty girl!
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Morgan is a pretty cat. I looked up Korat and although she has a silver tipping, her face is broader and she weighs more than a Korat. Gracie, my other gray, has more of a Siamese look to her and she’s very vocal. In person Morgan looks more like a British shorthair blue but I’m sure she’s a mixed breed. Thanks for your comment.
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She is a beautiful girl! You and she are both lucky – I agree it was just meant to be 🙂
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She is a beauty. She looks a lot like a British Blue.
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She’s a beauty.
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And she’s perfect!
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Hi, Morgan – You are not only beautiful, and a great mouser, you are also an awesome writer. I look forward to reading Part Two!
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Thank you! It’s hard getting recognition with so many cats!
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Oh, I have so missed Sassy Cats! This is going to turn into a cat blog you know! I have missed your blog entries. I will have to go back and catch up later today. Morgan is a lucky cat… glad The Beloved Husband told you to go back and get her. Great to read Jake’s reactions and read his cat speak!
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So good to have you back! I miss Jake. 😦 He was unforgettable and definitely not a perfect cat!
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She is a very pretty colour and looks so soft and gentle. 🙂
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Soft and gentle yes. She’s 12 lbs. so she is not a small one but she’s never aggressive.
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I love the picture with her paws in the air. She’s a sweetie.
As a person with only one good eye, I can tell you that the only important use for that second eye is for peripheral vision. ( I do have that.) Do the other cats sneak up on her on her missing-eye side?
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No. The other cats have not capitalized on that. Once in a while she can be blindsided but it’s usually by a human. I try to remember to talk to her as I’m coming up on the blind side.
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Morgan is a beautiful girl.
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She is and she’s friendly and healthy.
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I love your cat stories Kate! Can’t wait for the next edition.
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Thanks!
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Kate, what if you hadn’t taken that stroll to see the cats? You were meant to have her. It reminds me of the way Daughter and Grandchild picked out an old declawed cat at a shelter. I have been behind on reading blogs but I am glad I found yours this afternoon. Will try to get back for next installment. Have a good weekend.
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It was karma!
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Good thing you came along with your delivery! Ugh, parasites!
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Yes it is. On another day I may not have noticed her.
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Cats sleeping paws up ~> big SMILE!
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She was young there but she still does it occasionally.
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Morgan is a darling. Too bad many potential adopters are looking for perfection. They end up missing the truly wonderful.
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She is truly the perfect cat.
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Oh what a story! My husband would have a fit if I did that! But what a lucky cat.
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My husband is a very kind man. Although he says he is cat neutral, I see him scratching and playing with the crew.
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I think in your house, there’s always room for more cats. Great photos, Kate!
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Not according to Jake! He would not have liked Gracie. She is very active and pesty.
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Morgan is the prettiest shade of gray. I’m sure she knows this, but I felt it was worth mentioning here. Love the photo of her snoozing on her back. So content.
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She’s very photogenic and she does the silliest things. I have pictures of her in various places where she is not allowed but is sleeping without a care in the world. I love that we can give her that kind of environment.
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I suspect that your next post will be a total shit show. I know this because we once brought home a dog that the previous owner had just given a de-wormer. OMG That was pretty damn disgusting.
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Actually that didn’t happen. I never was convinced that the other cats had the parasites. Morgan was only around them for less than 24 hours and everyone was staying to themselves but the vet was cautious. Morgan had no signs of parasites which is probably why it wasn’t caught at the shelter. It was more about flying pills all over the place! I only had to deworm once with Jake and it wasn’t too bad. He had tapeworms. There were two meds I had to give them. One was an antibiotic.
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That sounds like a different type of torture. My mastiffs that got wormed left a special kind of PTSD in their wake!
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I didn’t realize that could happen. Yikes!
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Medicating cats is The Worst. I recently saw a vet video on how to do it, though. There’s a highly technical method to immobilizing them and making them more pliant.
It’s called “Squish the cat.”
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As they get older, it gets easier. Right now, it’s easy. Hazel is the toughest as occasionally I have to catch her. The grays were never a problem even from the beginning. I’m beginning to think that gray cats are easier in many ways. When Jake was young, he was awful to pill. He was a very strong cat with sharp teeth. He wasn’t having any of the “but this is good for you” stuff. Some people do burrito but I was never truly successful at that.
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Yeah. My vet uses a kevlar bag to medicate mine or take blood. I winder how much those cost?
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OMG! You must have the cats from hell!
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Just one. She is truly a character.
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Nice post Kate.
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Thanks.
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I don’t think Morgan’s missing an eye. I think she’s permanently winking. I’m looking forward to the “Morgan’s a perfect cat” story.
Ten of the cats we’ve taken in over the years have had parasites. It’s no fun for the cats to be treated and not enjoyable for any squeamish bipedal creatures tasked with the chore, but I think it’s a common occurence,
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They are more common than I thought. Our vet thinks that’s the original of Hazel’s bowel issues. Before I released Gracie into the population I made sure all her tests were negative for anything!
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it seems it often starts the same way… and a beloved husband has a heart … hugs to you we know that Morgan is THE best… like the famous Morgan le fay ;O)
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That is a great namesake. We named her after a pirate then found out the pirate had both eyes! 🙂
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