Newman

Meet Newman:

Although it's only recently that we've become friends, I'd been noticing him around for some time due to his distinctive eyes. While they match in colour, his left eye appears disconcertingly blank.

When I asked Leslie about it, she said he arrived sporting a pinpoint pupil in that eye, so there's no way of telling what kind of injury he'd sustained to make it that way. However, she adds, she believes this "turned out to be his advantage as it has made him very distinctive."

And here's the story of his origin and his name as she recalls it:

"A feral tabby was being fed by someone who named him Newman.  The decision was made to trap him and bring him to the sanctuary. So, a trap was set, a cat was trapped, taken to our vet and then brought to the sanctuary.  The name Newman was put on his cage. 

Soon after, the woman who'd fed the cat came for a visit.  "That's not Newman," she said when she viewed the hissing, spitting cat in the cage.  A while later, another tabby was captured, brought to the sanctuary and named Newman.  Our volunteers, Wanda and Mary, who knew what Newman was supposed to look like, told me that the 2nd cat wasn't Newman either. 

And so it came to be that the true Newman was never captured and we have 2 other cats named Newman at the sanctuary.  Believe it or not."

It's hard to picture Newman today as the spitting demon from the story; he's come such a long way.

"Newman's friendliness, like that of so many of our sanctuary residents, was developed gradually, over time.  When he first arrived, he was feral and had never been touched. Now, he loves being touched and loves his daily treats even more."

That he does. Once I realized he was actually going to let me pet him and he realized he wanted me to do it more, he was as delighted about the attention as I've seen any cat at the sanctuary.