Kiefer & Indiana

Indiana & Kiefer - DW

Guest blogger Marianne Moore writes:

Tall, dark and handsome is often how heroes of romantic novels are described. When it comes to cats, it’s difficult to think of them as actually being tall so, well, two out of three ain’t bad, as the saying goes. There are plenty of black cats at the Sanctuary and it’s not easy for me to distinguish one from another, despite them exhibiting a wide range of what one could consider “handsome-ness”.  Frequently, when I’ve been asked the name of one of the black cats, I’ve resorted to pleading ignorance and confess that I know it just as “Black Cat # 42”.

Indiana - MM

Newcomers to the Sanctuary, Kiefer and Indiana are among those that can definitely be described as dark and handsome!  Long-haired Indiana (aka Indy) has soulful yellow eyes and a lovely “ruff”, while his short-haired friend Kiefer has beautiful green eyes and lynx-tipped ears so they should be easy for even me to identify once they’re out and about with the other cats in the single-wide trailer.

Kiefer - BC

 Fortunately, there aren’t too many black cats in that building and most of them have something distinctive about them – Belinda is tiny and very fluffy, Blackie usually swats me as I walk by, Harvest has an unusual little white spot on his chest, and so on.

Kiefer - MM

Until they’re ready to be released from the cage, Kiefer and Indiana have “the best room in the house" – very spacious and with a window facing the front courtyard – but so far I’ve only once seen one of them (I think it was Indiana) look out the window to enjoy the view.  They’re still a bit uncertain about their new situation and are most comfortable cuddled up together on the shelf inside their cage.  

Indiana - BC

Although the sign on their cage door says that they’re semi-feral, if you approach them slowly, it doesn’t take long for the purrs to begin once you start petting them.  When one is petted, the other almost always pushes his head in under the petting hand to get some attention too.    Kitty Comforters and other volunteers spend lots of time with Kiefer and Indiana to help them realize that they have nothing to fear from us so that, when they’re released from their cage, they’ll be willing to accept all the love and attention we’re going to give them.   I’m determined to remember their names then so that neither one will ever be just “Black Cat # something-or-other” to me.    

Indy & Kiefer - BC

Blog by Marianne Moore

Photos by Brigid Coult, Marianne Moore & Debbie Wolanski