The Oddball

'Pop' was delivered to me late one night. He was the last kitten left from an 'oops' litter, and the people didn't want to take responsibility for finding him a home. When he came to us, he was very nervous, and had a few troubles with his cat manners. His coat was also very rough.

We immediately decided that 'Pop' just wouldn't do for a name. We christened him Rick James. As we got to know him, we learned how appropriate it was, with the little boy being full of the joys of life. For kittens like Rick, Fuifui is an absolute blessing. He is so kind and gentle with them, encouraging them out of their shells, but never forcing himself on them. Rick grew to worship Fui! He became a lot more confident too, and wanted to oversee whatever was going on. He didn't like it one bit if he felt excluded!

Rick was full of energy, and loved to be involved in anything and everything. One of his favourite past times was helping my boyfriend R with his ironing, wrestling any dangling pant leg or sleeve. He loved R, and would happily follow him around everywhere. Rick was a real boy's boy, and was happiest when getting down and dirty.

As his diet improved, he shed a lot of his old, rough fur, and a much softer covering began to grow through. His eyes became really bright and lively, too. When he arrived, he was very claw happy and quite rough, which led to a lot of scratches. With gentle corrections, he did very well, and learned it was not appropriate. We were very happy to send the well mannered boy he became back to the shelter for adoption.

When Rick got sleepy, he loved to come up on the couch for snuggles. He had a squeeky little purr, and was keen to express his opinion regularly- especially when dinner was about to be served! While he was awake, he was a really adventurous little boy. He and Fui had lots of fun together, and on his last night with us, we were treated to a period of super wrestling between the two of them. They were so acrobatic! And every movement was accompanied by a commentary from Rick- what a cutie! The kittens have been great for Fui in reminding him that playing like a kitten is fun. While Suey doesn't get involved with them, she appears to be inspired by them, and will regularly indulge in crazy play when the kittens have gone to bed.

Rick was a special little boy who would have fit into our family really well, and was a true test to our resolve! He found a great home with people who had gone to the shelter hoping to find a talkative kitty. They found a perfect match in Rick James!