Cat Shrine

Oliver was a premature kitten and abandoned by his mother in a public park southwest of Baltimore.   He was rescued and taken to the Save-A-Life Animal Rescue, a no kill cat shelter in Linthicum Heights, Maryland.   They called him Peanut (now his middle name) because when he was brought to the shelter Oliver was so small he fit in the palm of the man's hand that ran the shelter.   A saleswoman at a local pet store, For Cat's Sake (in Kensington, Maryland), had referred me to this shelter because I wanted to support a no kill shelter when I adopted my first pet.   Oliver is somewhat camera shy, unless Buster is with him.

Out of 50 cats and kittens that I handled at the shelter, Oliver, who was five months old, picked ME!  He followed me around and got up on my shoulders and purred in my ear and kept on purring.   My little purr-machine regularly wakes me up mornings with his cold nose nuzzling my chin and ear as he purrs and licks my neck and earlobe.   While I'm sitting in the living room, Oliver always jumps up on me and lays diagonal across my chest with his front paws resting over one shoulder and falls asleep with his head on top of his front paws.

Oliver was a runt for his first two and a half years with me UNTIL he started eating the Purina DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula dry cat food.   He has gained size and strength eating that food.

With Buster and Rusty, Oliver was the omega cat, but he was good-natured about his place.   He was the first to try to makeup when the other cats picked on him.   He loves to be combed with my fingers front-to-back, first under his belly, then front-to-back from his shoulders to his tail while he drags his belly on the carpet as he crawls forward commando-style inch-by-inch.   You have to be careful when he rolls on his back while playing commando- kitty because he's got sharp claws and is very quick to take a good-natured swing at you in this close-quarters kitty combat exercise!   Oliver usually has a timid meow, except when he wants the commando-kitty back scratch.   Then he looks right at me and confidently meows, "I want my back scratched!"   Oliver also likes to play camouflage recon kitty, lying in wait or exploring under my bed sheets or freshly washed unfolded laundry.   Oliver has recently started shadow-boxing with himself to stay in shape!

Oliver is now the elder Alpha cat with Jasper and he seems to be enjoying the attention from Jasper and the fact the Jasper defers to him and submits physically before him!

Oliver will be 14 years old in July 2012.  Oliver has been with me since January 24th, 1999.

Jasper was surrendered to the Briggs Animal Adoption Center, a no kill cat shelter in Charles Town, West Virginia, as a kitten, where he spent his first 22 months of life.   They called him Peanut (now his middle name). and their "cat counselor" noted that he was good natured and bonded easily with changing volunteer caregivers!

Out of 70+ cats and kittens at the shelter, I asked to see the 16 male cats two years old or younger.   Jasper was the last of the group we found hiding up on one of the overhead cat ramps and when I heard his name was Peanut (just like Oliver's shelter name was) I got a little tingle!   I narrowed the field to three candidates and based upon how each of those three responded to me in a private visiting room I selected Jasper.   Jasper is also a little purr- machine!

Jasper and Oliver never fought once and began bonding after the first three days! They are both working hard to becoming BFFs and have started licking each other's faces and ears for grooming already!   Jasper has adapted amazingly fast to his new surroundings and his new brother!

Jasper will be 2 years old in April 2012.  Jasper has been with me since February 29th, 2012.

I adopted Buster from a friend who was no longer able to care for him.   Buster is part doggie and the smartest of my three sons.   He plays fetch and is too curious for his own good.   He and Oliver are best friends (see group photos below).   Buster became diabetic in October 2001 when I almost lost him.   His symptoms were: he'd walk a few steps, lay down panting, get up, walk a few more steps, lay down and so on.   I raced him to the vet and the vet injected a subcuteneous saline push because he felt dehydrated to her.   The emergency vet said that saline push saved his life!   He spent 7 days in local emergency veterinary hospitals and has been recovering slowly since.   I inject Buster every 12 hours with 6 units of Humulin-U Ultralente insulin (now discontinued by Lilly; ask your vet about PZI).   He now goes to the veterinarian for blood fructose monitoring every three months.   Buster requires a special veterinary diet, but on advise from my vet I switched all my cats' diets to dry Purina DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula veterinary diet with FANTASTIC results for all!

Buster loves catnip more than the other boys.   He is very protective of his hammock and the other cats leave it alone.   Buster used to like to maul a loaf of bread and would carry the whole new loaf in his teeth (like a dog) back to a corner where he'd rip the loaf into a big messy pile.   Since Buster got sick I can't let this happen ever again -- so now Buster grabs a whole roll of toilet paper and rips it to shreds, but only once every couple of months (about) thankfully!   He uses this action usually to express his displeasure with me for not leaving the bathroom sink drip during the night so he can have some fresh water when HE wants.

Buster is my most demanding cat.   He will meow, jump, claw things off of my bedroom bookshelves until I attend him.   The cats get fresh air twice daily sitting in a small sliding kitchen window with a screen.   When Buster sees another cat or animal he makes chattering-jaw meows and claws at the screen or closed window.   He does this watching the bird monsters that tease him from a shrub just outside the window.   I installed extra thick and strong pet screening so he cannot tear it with his claws.   If the window is not open, when he wants, Buster claws at the wooden dowel I leave in the track for security, until I come open the window.   Sometimes we go through three or four window openings and closings before Buster settles down and relaxes again.   Since Buster's illness he's more spoiled than ever since the safest treat for him is now real steak, chicken, tuna, salmon, or ham.   Even though Buster is high maintenance, I love him and won't let him down!   Buster and Oliver both love chasing laser-pointer monster around the house.   I give EXTRA special care to never point the laser anywhere close to their eyes or at anything shiny that might reflect into their eyes or mine.   This is Buster's primary exercise once a week.   I also put Buster's food dish and the Drinkwell Pet Fountain water dish on the kitchen counter so all the cats have to jump up for exercise to have water during the day.   When I get home from work, Buster's latest thing is to jump on my back while I'm bending over untying both my sneekers.   Buster is ingenious and devilish, but that's what I love most about him.

Buster would have been 16 years old in March 2011.   Buster had been with me since February 12th, 1999.   Buster went to Cat Heaven on January 21st, 2011 in Leesburg, VA after sudden diabetic complications on the same day.

Rusty was a stray that I adopted from a friend's house in Chantilly, Virginia.   I went to a pool party in July of 1999 and I came home with a new cat.   My friend has a severe allergy to cats and said his family was going on vacation for several weeks and they intended to take Whiskers (his middle name now) to a shelter UNLESS I took him home that night.   I had been cat treat shopping just before coming to the party and had the treats in the car.   I got him some and we were fast friends after that.   His brown tabby markings and color give him a regal tiger-like look.   His sonorous and expressive deep vocalizations demand immediate attention!

Rusty has a lot of personality for a gentile giant.   He's 17 pounds of muscle (+2 lbs of fat = 19 pounds) and looks wild, but since coming home with me, he sleeps stretched out from my feet to my thighs against one leg or between my legs every night.   When he first came home he didn't let the other cats on the bed with us.   He didn't want to share me with them.   Now he's more confident and laid-back and lets the cats sleep with us again.

Rusty meows at either 2 or 3 am sometimes to wake me up.   If I don't wake up, he gently bats at my nose with the pads on his front paw or he nips at my fingertips until I wake up.   Then he purrs and wants scratched and petted with a treat afterwards.   He then races off the bed and comes back a short time later to quietly sleep against my legs the rest of the night.   Rusty likes to play rough and he's a friendly biter, saying I belong to his pride.   He likes to rub the corners of his mouth on my hands and then he nips at my fingers to mark me as his.   I have to be careful to go straight in from the front of his mouth as his gentle nips get stronger.   Rusty likes to nibble on fingers, but has only drawn blood once when he bit the vet tech during his first visit when I got him.   Rusty needs to be close to me which ever room I'm in.   He lays at my feet in the living room or with me on the couch.   He loves salmon, ham, and chicken, but doesn't like steak except occasionally.   He enjoys Purina DM Dietetic Management Feline Formula dry or canned wet food and this new food solved his pudding-poop diarrhea caused by store-bought low quality dry cat food!   Rusty's favorite toy is the colored nylon cord on a stick with colored ribbon strips tied on the end.   I drag the cord in front of him and pass it over him just out of reach and he SNORTS with his mouth open when he can't grab the cord.   He makes a sharp fricative "ke" sound like the second syllable of the word cake!   He prefers colored-cord monster to laser-pointer monster which Buster and Oliver just love!   Rusty just watches them play laser-monster thinking "how dumb are those cats chasing a dot of light? At least my toy CAN be caught and chewed on!"

Rusty was 14 years old in January 2012.   Rusty had been with me since July 11th, 1999.   Rusty went to Cat Heaven on Feburary 24th, 2012 in Leesburg, VA after sudden discovery of terminal lymphoma and other serious complications the same day.

Oliver is the good-natured go between.   Buster and Rusty have come to an uneasy but tolerant truce.   Oliver is bold and confident with either Buster or Rusty.   Oliver and Buster have developed a special bond so I never want them to be separated if something happens to me.   Rusty can manage fine without the other cats because he's more independent of them, but he needs close loving human companionship more.

Oliver, Rusty, and Buster said it was the purrrfect gift! Thanks so much!