Lloyd:

"Wow! What a fine predicament I am in," Scraggles muttered.
"All I wanted to do was to eat that tuna fish in this
metal contraption that I am in right now. Now I am
trapped and those humans have put me into a van labeled
Cats Meow Adoption Center. I must be getting too old.
I have been on the streets for a long time now and I
have been taking furry good care of myself. I do
remember being a set of triplets. One was my sisfur
who was a pretty black kitty and my other triplet was
my brofur who was pure white. I take after both of them
as I am black and white. Then, my siblings went away one
day and I was alone until two young men adopted me. They
lived on a college campus and paid furry little attention
to me. Then, suddenly they never came back home to feed
me. I had to find food outside on the streets."

"I remember finding a nice farm and lived in the barn with
other kitties. We kept the mouse supply to a minimum and
enjoyed a few meals from the farmer. Then the farm was sold
and we kitties had to fend for ourselves."

"I do not remember how old I am right now, but I feel quite
old after living outdoors. The winters are tough on me.
Sometimes I find a trash barrel or a cardboard box to stay
in to escape the bad weather. But, now look at me, trapped
and afraid. I wonder what will become of me?" ...

Gigi:

... "What is a Cat Adoption Agency anyway? I have to admit
that I REALLY do not like this cage-stuff one bit. And
humans...(Scraggles shivers)...they are not to be
trusted. And now, look at me - caged - confined and helpless." ...

Lloyd:

... The van came to a halt and Scraggles heard the side van
door open. He could see light now. Plus he was not alone in
the van. There were two more cages near his. "Good! Misery
loves company," Scraggles said to the other two cats.

"We are just as scared as you are," said the yellow cat.
"Yes, me too." said the young gray kitten.

"Alright, you three, here is your new home," said the driver.
"There is a snow storm coming in this evening and all of you
will be warm and comfortable. There will be food and water
and a nice blanket for all of you to sleep on."

"Hmmm," said Scraggles to the driver, "that sounds good to me.
What's the catch? What do we have to do to get this nice
meal and a bed?"

"You do not have to do anything," the driver said. "We have
volunteers to see that you are taken care of. We are a cat
shelter, not a work shelter." The driver then carried the
two other cages in first, leaving Scraggles time to think
about the new turn of events in his life.

"A cat shelter with volunteers. What are volunteers,
I wonder?" Scraggles asked himself. ...

Gigi:

... Just then a lady came in carrying three big bowls of cat food;
she left the room and then came back with three bowls of water.
"Who cares what a volunteer is??? I am famished!!!"
All three of the kitties dove right in; within minutes
there were six empty bowls and three groggy, if
still somewhat nervous, cats. "What do we do now?"
Scraggles asked the little gray cat, ...

Lloyd:

... "What are you going to do now?"

"Purrs," said the gray kitten, "I want to find
that blanket and take a nap; I am furry sleepy."

"Me too," said the yellow cat.
"Where do we find our blankets?"

The kind lady came into the dining room then and said,
"Alright you kitties, follow me to the next room.
I have your blankets set up for you."

The three of them followed the kind lady and saw the three
wonderful, soft blankets and mewed their thanks to her.

"What a nice place this is," Scraggles said to the other two.
"I can hear other kitties purring in the next room. There must
be a lot of us kitties in this place." Then all three cats
settled down to a wonderful warm nap.

The following morning they were awakened by feet hustling about
and human voices and cat meows. ...

Baby:

... Another nice lady entered the room where the kitties all
had been sleeping. She smiled and gently said, "Good morning,
kitties. I hope you had a good night's sleep with wonderful
dreams of mousies and lizards...and catnip too. For all you
new kitties, today you are going to meet Dr. Catnip,
who is a kitty doctor, also known as a veterinarian."

Each of the kitties looked at each other, knowing they were
thinking the same thing: "What is a veterinarian? That is
as confusing as 'what is a volunteer.'"

The nice lady then said, almost reading their minds, "I am
a volunteer. That means I came here to help take care of
you. Not because I have to, but because I want to, and
because I love you kitties, all of you, and want to help
you find new homes, where you will be loved by wonderful
people and will never again have to look for another home.
All we people here at the Shelter want is for you to be
healthy and happy." She then added, "You do not have to be
scared of Dr. Catnip. He is a very nice, gentle man and he
is here to help you. He is just going to check you over
and make sure that you are feeling OK and nothing is
hurting you. He will give you some vaccinations that might
prick for just a few seconds, but these are to keep you
healthy, so you won't get sick."

The nice lady went over to the three newcomers and petted
each one of them, rubbing behind their ears and said,
"I see you found your litter boxes all right. Are you
hungry for breakfast? I bet you are." ...

Gigi:

... "Am I hungry for breakfast!...do kitties purr?" thought
Scraggles. Before he knew it, the nice volunteer lady
came back with three more bowls of food and three more
bowls of water, and the new shelter residents chowed
down on their food. "You know...this regular meal stuff
could be very easy to get used to," thought Scraggles.
Just as he and his new pals were finishing their breakfast,
in walked a very tall human wearing a white coat. ...

Lloyd:

... "Good morning," said the doctor to the cats. "After you
three cats finish your breakfast, my volunteer friend
Rose will bring you to my office for your examinations and
shots. Before that happens you cats will be groomed.
Your coats need some furballs removed and
maybe a flea bath will be in order."

"What is a flea bath?" thought Scraggles to himself.
"Whats that???"

Rose, sensing the cats' apprehension about getting a flea bath,
calmed them down by saying, "A flea bath and grooming are
not bad things. You need them to get your coats beautiful
again. Your coats are a bit scraggly from being outdoors."
She patted the three cats and said again, "Let's see how beautiful
you cats really are. Come with me."

The three cats followed Rose down the hallway to another room
where they saw a large table with tools on it. Also, to one side
of the room, a sink was visible with a basin of water in it.
A pretty young lady was standing next to the sink and said,
"Who wants a bath first?"

The three cats looked at one another and finally one mewed,
"I know that I have to do this, so I will be first."
The brave cat was Scraggles. ...

        

Lloyd:

... Scraggles and the other two cats looked beautiful after
their flea bath and fur ball trim. Rose was very pleased
with their appearance. "The doctor will not recognize you
beautiful cats, she said. Let's go to his examination room.
He will want to see you one at a time.

The three cats followed Rose to Dr. Catnip's office. They
were so furry proud of their new clean fur coats that they
forgot about being afraid of the examination that they would
be going through. "O K, said Rose, one of you kitties will
will be taking turns to get your examinations. Who wants to
be first?" The three cats looked at her together. Then the
gray kitten said, "Me first, please." He went into the doctor's
office with Rose while the other two sat down and made themselves
as comfortable as possible despite their nervousness. The
yellow cat said to Scraggles, ...

Gigi:

... "You know...I was talking to Bubba- that very cool grey cat
who has been here for awhile. He was warning me that sometimes
they have to do something called "neutering" to new kitties.
I asked him what that was- but, before he could answer- we were
taken in for our flea baths and grooming. Do you have any idea
what he was talking about?" ...

Lloyd:

"I heard some of the kitties in the feral colony that I visited
with for awhile mention to me that they had been neutered,
said Scraggles. They told me that they were trapped in a cage
like we were trapped in. They also said that after being trapped
and neutered that they were then taken back to their colony and
set free again. They also noticed that there were no more baby
kittens born in that colony and they received shelter and plenty
of food to eat there. I did not live in a feral colony, did you,
Yellow Cat?"

"No, replied the yellow cat. I was an abandoned cat. My humans
dropped me off in the neighborhood that I now live in. There are
no kitties who live outside in that neighborhood, but I have seen
kitties perching inside on their window sills watching me when I
come into their yard checking for food and shelter. I have three
homes that leave me food and water. This winter, one of them allowed
me to live in their garage by keeping the door open partially for
me. I was napping in the garage when I was trapped in a cage
placed inside the garage. The cage had a nice soft blanket to lay
on for my naps. I slept in the cage for about a week. I never even
noticed that the door to the cage was closed one evening when I
wanted to use the litter box placed in the garage with me. The
next thing I knew, I was in the that large van being driven to
who knows where. By the way, my previous owners named me Sunny."

"Hello Sunny, said Scraggles. My name is Scraggles. My owners
abandoned me too. I wonder if we are to be neutered like those
feral cats I mentioned? They said that they never experienced
any pain and that they were sleeping when it happened to them.
Hopefully, if we are neutered we will be sleeping too."

Just then Rose came out of the doctor's office with a sleeping
gray kitten in a small cage. "Rose, said Scraggles, is he
alright? Was he neutered?"

To this question Rose replied ...

Lloyd:

... "Yes, he was, because he was found to be in good
health and is over six months old. Most people
who come to this shelter will more and likely adopt
a younger cat. Gray kitty is very adoptable.
Wait until I come back. I wish to put gray kitty
in a nice recovery room until he wakes up." With
that said, Rose walked down the hallway with the
gray kitten.

Sunny and Scraggles looked at each other in dismay,
then Scraggles said, "We are both older cats. Adoption
sounds wonderful for gray kitten but I do not think
that we have a chance to be adopted by people because
of our age."

Just then Rose returned and had heard what Scraggles
said to Sunny. "Now, don't you two cats worry. Wait
and see how your examination turns out. Sometimes
older cats are adopted. Each person who comes to the
shelter has a special sort of cat in mind that they
wish to adopt. Sunny, I will take you in now."

"Hmmm, pondered Scraggles. "Adoption...what if I were selected?" ...

Mayo:

... Over came Rose and scooped up Sunny. Sunny looked back
at Scraggles with hope in his eyes. Scraggles pawed down at
the floor and thought to himself, "Yeah, you may be hopeful
but, not me. You have a good chance at being adopted. Who
is going to want a kitty like me!" Scraggles started
sobbing. Just then a woman peeked inside and petted
Scraggles' fur. "My dear, why are you crying?" Scraggles
looked up and met eyes with the woman. She picked him up
and stroked his fur. Just then Rose came back telling
Scraggles it was time for his examination. Rose looked
at the woman and asked her what she was doing there.
"I heard the poor kitty crying. Can you tell me if he
is up for adoption?" ...

Conor:

... "Why, yes he is" said the shelter lady...he is so thin,
but he'll be a beautiful kitty when he's had something
to eat and a somewhere to stay out of the weather!"

Annie:

"I'm sure he will, said the stranger lady. How old is he?"
(Oh, no said Scraggles, here it comes!") Rose said,"We're
not sure of his age, but we know he is at least three or
four." "Well, said the stranger lady, he won't be quite
as active as a kitten, then, will he?" ...

Mayo:

... "No, I am sorry he won't be as active as a kitten." said Rose.
"Oh, that's perfect, exclaimed the lady. You see, my daughter
is disabled and I was hoping to get her a pet that would help
lift her spirits. I wanted one that would love keeping her
company and show her love, but I was afraid of getting a kitty
that is too active and causing her more work than love. I think
that this guy is just perfect!" The lady reached over and
scratched Scraggles' head.

"Well, this kitty needs to go through an examination and have
some tests to make sure he is healthy. Then he will have
"the operation" and be ready for adoption, explained Rose.
Are you interested in adopting him?" Scraggles held his
breath while he waited for the answer. ...

Shibui:

... "Oh, yes, replied Mrs. Goodrich. I would be very interested
in adopting Scraggles...if Dr. Catnip determines that he is
in good health. If Scraggles has special needs, I don't
think that I would be able to take care of him." When he
heard those words, Scraggles was filled with anxiety.
What if he did not pass his health exam? What would happen
to him then?" ...

Lloyd:

... "Hello Scraggles," said Dr. Catnip. "Don't you look handsome
now that you have had your flea bath and grooming. You are
a tuxedo cat and you appear to be in good health. Relax while
I examine you." Dr. Catnip poked and pried and squeezed. "Your
heart is beating very fast. Calm down while I give you some shots.
You appear to be in good health. Now I am going to put you to
sleep and neuter you. If someone adopts you I will tell them
to keep you as an indoor cat. That way, you will never have to
sleep outside ever again." Dr. Catnip gave Scraggles his shots
and put him to sleep.

When Scraggles awoke he noticed Sunny in the cage next to him.
"Hello, Sunny" Scraggles said.

"Well, hello Scraggles," said Sunny. "It appears that both of us
survived the examinations. Rose was by and told me that some
nice lady was waiting to hear about your examination. She is
waiting in the volunteer break room."

"Oh," said Scraggles. She wants to adopt me for her daughter
who is disabled. I hope that I am adoptable." Just then Rose
came into the room and said ...

Buddee:

"Scraggles, I think we have found the perfect home
for you. Now remember, do not jump around a lot."

Scraggles looked pleadingly at Rose. "What about my friend
Sunny? He too would like a home as well." Here Scraggles
choked a little. "Whilst I am overjoyed at a new home," he
paused brushing a tear from his eye, "I...I, oh dear, I cannot
leave my friend Sunny who has befriended me."

Rose looked at him. There was sadness in her eyes but she
understood what Scraggles was saying. "Maybe, she said,
just maybe, I can persuade the lady to take both of you."

"Could mew, would mew do that for my friend?" He looked over
to Sunny who was quietly crying amazed that Scraggles would
think of him and was prepared to forego a warm loving home
for a friend.

"Oh Scraggles, I'm fine." Sunny bravely smiled through his own
tears. "Mew must not miss out because of me. Someone here
will want an older cat like me just as they want you."

"No," said Scraggles firmly. "Where I go, mew go too."
With that resolve firmly etched into his heart, he allowed
Rose to carry him through to the waiting room where ...

Lloyd:

... he saw Mrs. Goodrich and another woman sitting
together. "Scraggles, Doctor Catnip gave you a good bill of
health and I have started the paper work to adopt you,"
Mrs. Goodrich said. "Why Scraggles, what is the matter?
Aren't you happy to be adopted and get a good home?
My daughter Tess will be so pleased with having you for
her own pet."

Scraggles mewed to Mrs. Goodrich, "Yes, I am pleased, but
my friend Sunny needs to be adopted too."

"Oh," said the other lady sitting next to Mrs. Goodrich.
"I am the one who helped trap Sunny in my garage. My cat
died and I wanted to adopt Sunny for myself. I got so used
to feeding him and wanted to make sure that he was not a feral
and could be a tamed house cat. I am drawing up papers to
adopt Sunny."

"Oh, thank mew," said Scraggles to the other woman. "Sunny
will be very happy to live in his old neighborhood."

Rose was very pleased with the situation and told the two
ladies what Scraggles had said about not being adopted unless
Sunny was adopted too, and how they had become good friends.

Mrs. Goodrich said, "We two women are neighbors and we can
let the two cats visit with each other." ...

Sasha Brewer:

... By the time Scraggles told Sunny that they were both being
adopted and that they were going to be neighbors, both
kitties were purring at high volume. Rose, Mrs. Goodrich
and the neighbor lady were petting the two kitties and
and scratching their chins. For the first time in his
Scraggles knew that he was safe. He and Sunny were very
lucky cats indeed.

"What happened to the little gray kitty?" you ask.
Well, that's another story!

Scraggles' Story was written from February 28, 2001 to March 30, 2001.
It is dedicated to Isaac, a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat,
who was a member of CLAW and the Older Cats Society.

Isaac was a participant in the OCS Adopt a Grandkitty program.
He passed over the Rainbow Bridge on September 12, 2000.

        

The MIDI playing is "Touched By A Rose" composed by Bruce DeBoer and © 2000.
It is included in his collection "Serenity" and used by permission of Bruce DeBoer.

 

© Older Cats Society