FFRC’S “THE WHOLE SCOOP”
By: Cindy A. Gliottone
Welcome to FFRC’s first edition of “THE WHOLE SCOOP”. I thought I would write you some funny short stories about the FFRC cats. It could be about the Residents, the Covies, the Porchies, the Barnies or the Firecats. Will it be real or made up? So without further ado let’s jump into it!
A VISIT TO DR. DARCY’S
Although some of the cats in this story have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, they are included as fact to the wonderful care they have received from Dr. Darcy. I also believe that just because they are gone, they should not be forgotten. Many of the cats at FFRC are characters in my stories and are my source for inspiration.
For those of us that own cats, we have all had the experience of bringing them to the vet’s for a checkup. I can bet that almost ALL of them do not enjoy going as much as we don’t enjoy taking them. In this story, the FFRC cats tell us about their visits to the vet’s, but this isn’t your ordinary vet. This is Dr. Darcy. Sit back and listen to some of the experiences the FFRC cats have had and the amazing treatments they have received.
One morning after breakfast Derecho, who is also known as D-man, was sitting on his rug in the main area ready for a nap when Egypt zoomed by. Hey D-man whatcha doing, asked Egypt? I’m getting ready to take a nap. I have a full belly and a nice, comfy rug. Do you need something, asked Derecho? No, not really. I was looking for something to do, said Egypt. Well, look around you, there is plenty to do, chuckled Derecho. Suddenly, Magic came around the corner. What’s up guys, he asked? Egypt is looking for something to do and I was getting ready to take a nap, said Derecho. What did you have in mind Egypt, asked Magic? I don’t know. I have to be careful with my back leg. Dr. Darcy said it’s possible I could have issues with it in the future, so I can’t be jumping off the cat walks and swinging off the ceiling fans, said Egypt. Magic laughed. By the way, how is your leg doing these days, he asked? It’s doing great! I thought it would be difficult walking having lost one leg and having to be careful with the other, but it’s actually not a problem, said Egypt. As a matter of fact, I am pretty darn fast on three legs. I’m faster than you Magic. Uh, Nope. I’m definitely faster, chuckled Magic. Wanna race, asked Egypt? Anytime, replied Magic.
They sat silent for a few minutes when Magic said, we are both very lucky. What do you mean, asked Egypt? If it wasn’t for Dr. Darcy and her brilliant surgery skills where would we be? Think about it, if it wasn’t for her we might not be here, said Magic. Hmmm, I never thought of that. You are absolutely right, said Egypt. I remember when I got hit by a car. It broke both my back legs. When they healed, they fused together. Unfortunately, I lost one of my back legs and had a femoral head removal on the other. I am very grateful Dr. Darcy was able to save my other leg, said Egypt.
As they were talking, some of the other cats wandered over and joined them. What are you guys talking about, asked Rumpelstiltskin? We are talking about Dr. Darcy and what she did for Egypt and I, said Magic. Well, I for one know what you mean. I had an experience with Dr. Darcy and what she and Dr. Pettigrew did for me. I could have lost my leg, said Rumples. When you get right down to it, there are several of us who have had amazing vet care from Dr. Darcy. I think she’s the Leonardo da Vinci of Veterinarians, said Magic. Everyone gathered around the main area and shared their stories.
Rumples continued by sharing his story. My story began when I fell off of the cat walk just over the washing machine and boy did it hurt. One of the staff members saw it and ran to get Mama Megan. I was rushed to the vet where I learned I broke my leg at the growth plate. They originally thought I would lose my leg, but thankfully Dr. Darcy and Dr. Pettigrew talked about it, came up with a plan and they were able to save it. I for one am truly grateful, said Rumples.
There are a few of us here with missing limbs and we all had the amazing and talented Dr. Darcy and her staff caring for us, said Magic. Dagda, would you like to tell us your story, asked Rumples? I was found in a field with part of my leg bitten off and to top it off I lost an eye too due to an untreated herpes infection, but if it wasn’t for Dr. Darcy, I might not be here today, said Dagda.
Many of us past and present have had incredible care from her, said Magic. Who were some of the others, asked Magellan? Well, there was Coralie who was the victim of severe frostbite. She lost her back legs, some toes on her front feet, ear tips and most of her tail and she adjusted just fine. Then, there was Asha who had a badly broken front leg and she did awesome without it. The point is if it wasn’t for the amazing Dr. Darcy, these surgeries might not have happened for us, said Magic. I also want to mention our beautiful Kiara who lost a couple of toes on her front foot due to cancer and if I’m not mistaken Dr. Darcy and Dr. Mercer performed that surgery.
It just blows my mind to hear these wonderful stories of hope and determination, said Derecho. I would like to add a story or two about the CH cats. Many people don’t realize that those of us that have CH, a.k.a Cerebellar Hypoplasia, can also have other issues as well. For instance, Alma suffers from megacolon while Spiker has IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Walter in the Cove has a head tilt and he’s deaf, but I am not sure if being deaf is associated with his CH. There are three degrees of CH, mild, moderate and severe. I am considered moderate and so is Spiker, while Ramsay and Lucie are severe CH. Walter in the Cove is a mild case and so was Jackson while Jersey was moderate. The truth is, we have all had trips to Dr. Darcy and she has helped us all, said Derecho. I think it is fair to say that no matter what the issue is, she finds a way to fix it, said Egypt.
I know of another medical miracle by Dr. Darcy, said Ramsay. Tell us about it, said Lucie. Does anyone remember Scotland, asked Ramsay? Yes, we all do, they replied. Well, he had the most delicate of issues going on when he arrived and it’s a little embarrassing to talk about, said Ramsay. Aw, come on, tell us, said Cheerio. Well … .his hiney was hanging out, he said. What do you mean, asked Buckeye? Magic spoke up and said, what he means is he had a rectal prolapse. A what, asked Marilyn? A rectal prolapse, said Magic. What is that, asked Spiker? Magic continued by saying, it’s when the rectum turns inside out and protrudes from the anus. It looks like a long, tubular mass that protrudes from the butt hole. Oh! That sounds gross, said Malade. How did Dr. Darcy fix that, asked Spiker? She performed a procedure called a purse-string suture. She manually replaced the prolapse and then put a purse string suture around the anus to keep the rectum in, said Magic. Can Scotland poop, asked Alma? Of course, the suture is loose enough for the poop to pass, said Magic. Where is Scotland? Is he still with us, asked Murph? Yes, he is alive and well and living down in the Cove. I hear he is doing fantastic, said Derecho. Keep in mind, this is a procedure where if it didn’t work Scotland wouldn’t be with us, said Magic. It just so happens that there was another kitten that went through the same situation as Scotland and that was Moo Moo. She also had the same procedure done and did very well thanks to the incredible Dr. Darcy.
Wow! I never realized how many of us she has helped over the years, said Egypt. Actually, I hear there are a few of us going up for surgeries in the coming weeks, said Derecho. I’m having a femoral head removal on my leg, said Betty. What is that, asked Chia? Derecho jumped in with an explanation. An FHO, or a femoral head ostectomy, is a surgical procedure that removes the “ball” at the top of the thigh bone also known as the femur. The surrounding muscles will create a “false joint” of scar tissue as it heals. Wow! Sounds pretty tricky, said Murph. Na, piece of cake for Dr. Darcy, said Derecho.
Is there anyone else going for a procedure, asked Magic? I am. Allen raised his paw. I’m going to have my teeth removed because of Stoma…Stoma something. It’s called Stomatitis, said Derecho. It’s a painful condition involving widespread inflammation and ulceration of the soft tissues in the mouth. You will feel so much better and Dr. Darcy and her team will take excellent care of you. Dude in the Cove had the same procedure done three years ago and he’s doing awesome. He eats whatever he wants and has no mouth pain or drooling anymore, said Derecho.
Suddenly, the main area door creaked open and little Mitzy from the office came running in. Hi everybody! I heard you all talking and I also went up to Dr. Darcy’s for my eyes to be removed and sewn shut. Is it hard not being able to see, asked Butterbean? No, not at all, she replied. I have been told I’m crazy wild and that I don’t know I am blind. I jump, run and play just like all of you, said Mitzy. Abba and Aponi have also lost their eyes and are doing fantastic. Many people think our injuries and disabilities make us unable to do things, but we call it being handicapable because we can do anything we put our minds to, said Magic.
Well, that covers just some of the many amazing stories we have experienced, said Derecho. Hey, I have a story, said Otter. Does anyone remember Prince? He came in with a fractured leg and a degloved tail. Dr. Darcy was able to save his leg by putting a pin in it so it would stay stable while healing. She also had to remove all of his tail because it was degloved. It was touch and go there for a bit. It was possible he may have had potty issues due to his tail injury being so close to his spine, but thankfully he healed beautifully, said Otter.
Wow! Another amazing story, said Magic. Can anyone else think of some others? They sat and thought about it for a few minutes when suddenly, Thor spoke up and said, I have a great story! Tell us, said Malade. Does anyone remember Wheeler and Vincent? Yes, we remember them, said Lucie. They paved the way here for FIP, said Thor. What’s FIP, asked Puddin? Magic spoke up and said, it’s called Feline Infectious Peritonitis and it is a viral disease caused by certain strains of feline coronavirus and it is deadly if not treated. Please continue Thor, said Magic. Wheeler was our first ever to receive treatment and he was an incredible success story. He endured injections every day for 84 days and had to be in quarantine the whole time. As if that wasn’t bad enough, once cleared from the bloodwork after treatment, Wheeler had to stay in quarantine another 84 days for observation! What happened after the 84 days, asked Nyota? Wheeler got adopted, said Thor. Dr. Darcy calls him her miracle kitty. After Wheeler, another kitty named Vincent got sick with FIP, so Mama Megan began another course of treatment for him and when it was completed Vincent got adopted with his siblings.
Wow! These are such amazing stories, said Dusty Rose. What makes these two stories so incredible is up until then there was no treatment for FIP so many cats were sent over the Rainbow Bridge, said Derecho. Wheeler was our first ever FIP case and Dr. Darcy learned so much about the disease because there wasn’t much information about it at the time. There have been several other FIP success stories since then, said Magic. It is incredible how veterinary medicine has evolved, said Ramsay. The room fell silent and you could see the wheels turning in everyone’s head. The stories being told are just heartwarming. FFRC is truly blessed to have Dr. Darcy as their veterinarian.
I have another amazing success story, said Marilyn. Does anybody remember Roo, she asked? She was the beautiful orange and white long-haired kitten. Yes, we remember her. Tell us her story, said Derecho. Roo was found by some construction workers. Her front legs were ruined so Dr. Darcy amputated them at the elbow, said Marilyn. Everybody gasped. Relax, she is doing fantastic in her forever home and she even has her own Instagram page, chuckled Ramsay. That is truly amazing, said Perogie.
I would like to add that many of us have had less dramatic procedures like dental cleanings, bloodwork, x-rays or just follow ups on health issues we may be having, said Derecho. What kind of health issues, asked Steven? Well, for instance, take bloodwork for example. It is used to check for many illnesses like infections, kidney disease, feline leukemia and hyperthyroidism, just to name a few, said Derecho. What’s hyperthyroidism, asked Yama? Magic explained that hyperthyroidism is a common feline endocrine disorder, most often diagnosed in older cats over the age of ten. It has symptoms such as losing weight, increased appetite, diarrhea and increased thirst. The bloodwork will tell Dr. Darcy how high the T4, short for Thyroxine, level is so she can treat it accordingly with the proper dose of Felimazole. Do we have anybody here with hyperthyroidism, asked Guppy? Yes, there is JJ the Porchie, Mayor Anony in the Cove and Junior in the office. They take Felimazole everyday to treat it.
Dr. Darcy has always gone above and beyond in helping any of us that needed help and I wish there was something we could do to show her our love and appreciation for all that she has done for us, said Magic.
They all sat and reflected on the incredible stories being told. I would like to add something if I may, asked Derecho? Sure, go ahead D-man, said Spiker. He paused while searching for the right words to say. There are many of us who arrived here at FFRC from some pretty awful situations and some did not make it. The world of veterinary medicine can’t always fix what is wrong, BUT I want to emphasize some very important points. First, being brought to FFRC is the best place on earth to be, especially if you are sick or injured. Mama Megan, Lynnette, and all the wonderful staff and volunteers take awesome care of us and give us all the love and attention we could ever want. It is here that our life begins. Second, it is important to remember that Dr. Darcy will work tirelessly trying to help us, but if it is our time and we cross the Rainbow Bridge we must never forget the time we did have is more time than we would have had if it wasn’t for her and FFRC.
The room was completely silent. Wow! I couldn’t have said it better myself Derecho, said Egypt. We are truly blessed, said Magic. After several minutes of silence, Dagda spoke up and said, when I am having a bad day from my PTSD, I have my own space in the store room where I can calm down and reflect. I was reading the other day and there are some quotes that sum up how people feel about their veterinarians. One quote is “veterinarians are the unsung heroes of society,” which is so true of Dr. Darcy. She is our unsung hero and thank you just doesn’t seem enough. The other quote is “veterinarians don’t just treat animals, they treat the people who love them.” I for one can say that all of FFRC nation loves us beyond words and when Dr. Darcy helps us, she is also helping all of the people who love and support us, said Dagda. Those are some awesome quotes and they sum it up perfectly, said Marilyn.
A few moments later, Derecho and Magic asked if anyone else had a story they would like to share. I know of one, said Ramsay. We are forgetting one of the best stories of all, he said. Which one, asked Magic? Your story, said Ramsay. Hey yeah, how could we forget that one, said Derecho. Well, my story began when I was very young. I was born with my back legs twisted like a pretzel. I couldn’t walk, so it was determined that Dr. Darcy would remove my back legs. After some time and healing, my tail was causing some potty issues so I had surgery to remove it as well, said Magic. Overall, I think you are doing pretty amazing and are incredibly fast on two legs, said Ramsay. I must say you are also unbelievably strong, said Derecho. Magic smiled as he flexed his muscles. He showed off for everyone by doing a hand stand while walking on his front paws. Wow, that’s cool! I want to learn how to do that, said Fischer. I don’t think that’s such a good idea, said Spiker. Yeah, Dr. Darcy doesn’t need anymore injury surgeries due to you being a dare devil, said Lucie. I agree, chuckled Magic. Please keep all four paws on the ground.
Well, thanks to all who shared their stories. It was quite the trip down memory lane, said Derecho. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the amazing stories that took place over the years and there will be more to come. It is hard to find the perfect way to thank someone for their extraordinary service, but sometimes words are all we have, said Magic. If Dr. Darcy was sitting in this room with us right now. This is what I would say to her. Magic cleared his throat and slid forward.
As we gather here sharing our stories we should honor someone whose life’s work is a testimony to compassion, dedication and grace. They say it takes a very special soul to be a veterinarian. We are not just cats- we are cherished members of people’s lives, whether it be we get adopted and have a family of our own or we live here at FFRC and we have FFRC nation as our family, we are special to someone. When we are sick or hurting, we feel helpless, but when we enter the doors of Fountain City Veterinary Hospital, we know we are in the hands of someone who will treat us as if we were their own.
Being a veterinarian requires an extraordinary blend of talents. It demands brilliance to diagnose and treat those who cannot tell you where it hurts. It requires stamina to endure long, unpredictable hours. And, above all, it requires boundless empathy. Whether it is a medical emergency, life-saving surgery or providing gentle care in our final moments, Dr. Darcy approaches every situation with patience and kindness. We know this profession is not easy and we appreciate you more than words can say. As someone once said, “The best doctor in the world is a veterinarian. They can’t ask their patients what’s the matter – they just know.”
On behalf of all of us at FFRC, I want to express our deepest gratitude. Thank you for your tireless dedication, your skilled hands, and your beautiful and caring heart.
Please join me in honoring and thanking Dr. Darcy for all that she does!
THANK YOU DR .DARCY FROM ALL OF US AT FFRC!!!
WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU!
TERRY
For our first story I thought we would go outside the main area and choose one of the Porchies. Hmmmmm! Who should it be about? I know! So how many of you know our lovable porchie Terry? He is the gorgeous and super friendly black and white DSH who gets into mischief quite often. I think I have the perfect story to tell you all!
One fall afternoon at the rescue center there was some last minute winterizing going on for the upcoming winter season and well…..Terry somehow got involved, but he didn’t help with the winterizing he instead came up MISSING! That’s right I said missing. For those of you who know Terry, he is always getting into somewhere he shouldn’t. A shed, Kitty City, delivery trucks, Pawmart and yes even visitors cars. He has absolutely no problem jumping into where there is an open door. We always worry someday he will get himself into trouble. This is his story.
On that fall afternoon last minute preparations for the winter were taking place and Jimmy arrived in his jeep. We all know the rule about don’t leave your car/ truck doors open and be sure to check for cats before you leave. This rule is in place because of…..well Terry! Jimmy was working in Kitty City and needed some tools out of his jeep. He grabbed what he needed and left his back door open just a few short moments. When he returned to close his door he took a quick look and saw that there were no cats inside so he closed and locked it for the night. He was going to drive home with Lynnette. As the day wore on some of us realized we hadn’t seen Terry so we started checking the usual areas to see if he got “locked in’ by mistake, but no luck. Terry sometimes disappears for the day, but always returns by early evening. The joke is he has a girlfriend somewhere close by. When he didn’t return that evening we were pretty confident he would be at the rescue by early morning for when Kim fed breakfast……but when morning came there was no Terry.
It was a Thursday and it just so happened it was a Humane Ohio day. Some of the volunteers working started looking around and calling for him. Again, they checked the usual areas to see if he was locked somewhere, but no sign. Panic started to quickly set in. Thoughts started to enter our minds. Oh my god! What happened to Terry? Could he be hurt somewhere? One of the volunteers was Gem and she walked around looking and calling for Terry, but no luck. She walked the parking lot right past Jimmy’s jeep and still no sign. Suddenly she turned around and saw Terry’s face in the window of the jeep. He managed to get himself locked in!! He meowed as if to say get me outta here! A phone call was made to Lynnette to let her know that Terry was found and that he was locked in Jimmy’s jeep all night. They were quickly on their way.
As for Terry I wonder what was going through his mind. One can only imagine. One of his thoughts might have been “ Oh boy, am I in trouble”. When Lynnette and Jimmy arrived they unlocked the door to let Terry out. He ran and it kind of makes you wonder what he did in there all night. I mean he had to go to the bathroom, right? He must have gotten hungry. I know I would have. After looking inside his jeep Jimmy noticed there was a nice pile of poo on his rubber mat! Thank goodness it was a rubber mat. Terry also managed to eat some snacks he had in the console, but the one thing that really surprised us the most was that Jimmy has a collection of rubber ducks on his dashboard and out of all them Terry managed to knock only one on the floor.
That’s right….he only knocked ONE on the floor. The most amazing part about that is Terry knocked the only rubber duck on the floor that looked like a cat! What are the chances of that? Overall that makes Terry very smart. I mean think about it. He gets locked in without being seen, goes poop on a RUBBER mat, has a few snacks for survival and then knocks a rubber ducky on the floor that looks like a cat.
Maybe we as humans can learn by this very behavior. We could call it survival tips from a Porchie cat and when you get right down to it, this could only happen in Terry’s world.
DOLLOP
Welcome back to another funny story with “The Whole Scoop”. Last time, we met Terry, the Porchie and his adventure. This time let’s take a trip out to the Cove and meet Dollop.
How many of us have a cat that does really weird or even downright strange things? Show of hands please. I see we all raised our hands on that one. I have a story for you, but first let me tell you a little bit about the Covie, Dollop. He is the large all black DSH with thumbs on his front paws. He is very sweet and lovable, but sometimes he can be a bit of a bully. After all, there is always one in the group and in this case, he’s the one in the Cove.
One day I was cleaning the Jonah House and it’s cute to see all of the cats sit and watch me, but never lend a paw to help. I sometimes feel like a cat chasing my tail because as soon as I clean something they feel the need to dirty it. Anyway, this one day, Dollop was feeling a bit frisky and rather mischievous. He would run in and out of the Jonah house like he was being chased. It was quite amusing to see the other cats watching him. It was like he overdosed on catnip and didn’t know what to do with his energy. Dollop would run in one door and out the other and then run back in and jump up on the counter. He would crouch down and watch my every move as if he was going to attack and then dart off like a rocket. I just shook my head and laughed. He actually got some of the other Covies interested from his behavior, so they followed him outside and they started chasing each other around the yard. As a matter of fact, Walter, Walter, Walter even followed the others outside. After I finished cleaning, I heard a weird noise so I went outside to see what was going on and I saw Dollop up in a tree standing on a small branch!! He stood there as if to say “check me out, now how do I get down?” He actually freaked me out because I didn’t want to have to climb the tree to get him down. It was as if he ran out of energy and didn’t know what to do next. I looked at him and said, “you got yourself up there so you can get yourself down.” Geez, did I ever feel like a terrible person. The poor cat was stuck up in the tree and I was going to just leave him there. I mean it’s not like I had a pair of go-go gadget legs so I could just extend my height and get him down. All I could think was this is going to be interesting.
As I watched Dollop, he started attempting to figure out a way to get himself down and the whole time I felt like a nervous Nelly! Here I was standing in the yard of the Cove, underneath a tree, ready to catch a cat who somehow felt like he was invincible for just a few short seconds. Suddenly Dollop realized, Whoops! Houston we have a problem! At that moment, I could have really used a trampoline. I took a deep breath and noticed that some of the Covies were just standing around watching. It’s like they were saying “Dollop my boy, you have really done it this time”. I decided to step away so I didn’t make him nervous. I could see the wheels turning in his head and then in the blink of an eye he dropped from the tree and touched down on all fours. Whew! He landed like a very well trained gymnast. I of course gave him the motherly pep talk to which he looked at me and took off running. He totally ignored me! I guess the only way to sum this up is that Dollop is just like any other little boy on the playground. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
WALTER, WALTER, WALTER!
So for this next story it can’t be anything but funny because it is about Walter the Covie. He is the gray DSH who has CH and is deaf. He is also known as Walter, Walter, Walter. I think to sum up Walter’s personality would be to say he is just….. HILARIOUS!
I work in the Cove everyday, seven days a week and believe me when I say no day is ever the same. I am sure there is something funny going on each and every day, but I don’t always see it. I did, however, catch this one incident involving Walter and it cracked me up. When I think about it, this was almost typical of Walter and for those of you who know him, you will probably agree with me.
It was morning and I headed down to the Cove to begin my shift. The first thing that happens is I walk in the Jonah House and I get attacked by 11 cats. I wouldn’t say attacked literally, but it’s like a game of ring around the rosey with me in the middle. Each cat is watching me closely and I can almost hear them saying, “Where is our second breakfast”? Oh, and “You’re taking too long”! I have a system that I try to follow, but most times there is a fly in the ointment or sometimes I like to change it up. This one day I decided to head down to the red barn and then over to Grizzly and Spotty’s shed first before feeding the Covies. I pulled out my trusty orange tray and loaded it up with yummy plates of goodness and then fought my way to the door. As I headed to the gate I noticed I was being chased after by several of the Covies. I could only imagine what was going through their minds, maybe something like “Hey we haven’t eaten in 3 hours, give us those plates”! I make it to the gate and out I go.
When I returned a short time later, the Covies were acting like they were starving to death, but we all know that would never happen. I grabbed some plates and started feeding when suddenly I couldn’t find Walter! I caught myself calling him and quickly realized he is deaf so I probably wouldn’t get a response. I looked around the room…. no Walter. I went outside and checked the yard…no Walter. I looked everywhere and once again, like a nervous Nelly, I started to panic! I stood in the Jonah House watching the others chow down like it was their last meal and thought, if I were Walter where would I go? I started thinking about the time Walter and some others got out of the Cove by accident and Walter was found sleeping under a bush. We don’t have a bush in the Cove so that was not an option. Hmmmm! It’s not like him to miss a meal. I wondered for a brief moment if Magic and Egypt could help me solve this mystery and then I realized I was getting way ahead of myself. I stood there a moment and decided I would remain calm because there had to be a logical explanation for Walter’s disappearance. Did he really disappear or was he right under my nose?
A few minutes had passed and I started picking up some of the empty plates when all of a sudden the cupboard door flew open and there was Walter!! He tilted his head to the side and let out a mighty meow as if to say HERE I AM!! He started pushing cans of cat food out of the cupboard and onto the counter and the floor as if to express his dissatisfaction with breakfast. I admit for just a few short seconds I wanted to give him the “you scared me half to death speech”, but instead I enjoyed the best laugh ever. I never get tired of Walter’s antics because he never ceases to amaze me with the stunts he pulls. It’s true what we say at the rescue, that cats with handicaps ARE handicapable and Walter is proof of that.
RAMSAY a.k.a RAMBO
Ah Ramsay….what can I say about him? Well, he is the most amazing, handicapable and most adorable CH boy ever. He has the most stunning blue eyes and a very funny personality. He also has many nicknames such as Rambo, Rammy, Rambo Dean and last, but certainly not least DR.NO! I don’t think he has just one funny story. He has many and all are unique to him.
So to begin this week’s story I realized my mind is flooded with the antics of Ramsay and couldn’t decide on what to write about. Yes, you heard me correctly. I do not know what particular Rambo moment to write about soooooo, I thought I would just tell you a few. First off, for those of you who don’t know him, he is the handsome siamese that is usually sitting in one of his cars. He owns TWO Ferrari’s OH, and a Mercedes! He is Defiance’s fastest race car driver. How do I know this? Open up his glove box and you will see the many speeding tickets he has. I bet you’re wondering why he hasn’t paid them? I will explain it to you the way it was explained to me by Rambo himself. When he gets stopped by the police, most times it is from a female police officer. One look at his baby blues and he melts them. All the ladies LOVE Ramsay. I know this is true because he does it to me daily. The officer gives him the ticket, but tells him not to pay it, just slow it down. The officers don’t want any heat from their captain so they give him a “bogus” ticket and off he goes with a snicker. I think Ramsay keeps them as souvenirs.
Next, comes his feeding and potty time and it will make you smile. This is where his alter ego, Dr. No comes into play. I must admit Ramsay has definitely expanded his palate with different foods, but deciding which one to give him on any given day is where the fun begins. It’s like eenie, meanie, miney, moe what should I give Dr.No. In all honesty, he is not always Dr. No, but when he doesn’t want something he will let you know. He either turns his head to one side or sometimes lifts his foot to push the bowl away as if to say “I don’t want that, you eat it”. We try again with no luck and once more until he adamantly shoves it away. You can’t get mad because he is just too darn adorable. I can say that when all else fails his favorite food is chicken. He goes at it with a vengeance, taking mouthfuls and flinging it everywhere. It is usually the food of choice when all else fails. When it is time for potty Ramsay will most times let you know by dancing and fidgeting in his bed, but for the most part he gets pottied every 2 hours. I can bet all of your cats have a particular bathroom ritual that they go through before going potty and Ramsay is no different. I have put him in the litter box where he would dig frantically as if searching for gold and in the midst of digging, he somehow does a handstand and buries his face in the litter. YIKES! He emerges with a face full of litter.
There is more to Ramsay than just us helping to feed and potty him. He is very capable of doing whatever he wants on his own. Although he doesn’t walk very much, he can and will when he wants to. It may be a bit of a struggle, but when he achieves his goal his little face lights up and you can tell he is proud of himself as are we. He is a very determined little guy. Another thing about Ramsay is he responds to music. For instance, at Christmas, we have several of the dancing musical toys. When you press the button they start to sing and dance and so does Ramsay. He bops his head to the beat of the music and it is absolutely adorable. He gets very excited and seems to really enjoy himself. Overall, I would say he is one very happy little guy. Oh and did I mention he’s spoiled? He knows we will bend over backwards to meet his needs.
One of the stories I wrote with Ramsay is truly my fav and that was when Derecho and Magic flew all of the residents to the North Pole to help Santa with Christmas and Ramsay got to fly his Ferrari next to Santa’s sleigh. It was decked out with lights, a rudolph nose, antlers and a horn that played Christmas music. The elves put the finishing touch on by helping to make his Ferrari fly. He was the envy of all the residents. Of course, each resident had their own magical moment with Santa.
Every morning I give Ramsay a hug and a kiss and he is always such a happy boy. I don’t think I have ever seen him in a grumpy mood. Maybe it has something to do with getting hold of Mama Megan’s credit card and speeding down Clinton Street for ice cream and pizza. Whatever it is, his personality can’t help but make you laugh and smile and that’s what makes him so handicapable.
