Best Buds - Thistle & Fonzie

Thistle and Fonzie are the best of friends. 

Fonzie (KN)

They came to us from different places.  Fonzie was one of a trio of young males who came to us from Grand Forks last winter; we don’t know if they were related, or even if they were trapped together, but they were too feral to be easily tamed, and were sent on to us by the local rescue.  The three were very different in appearance:  tabby and white chonky Flynn, silver tabby Fletcher, and black-and-white Fonzie, whose sideburns gave him his name.  Initially they hung out together in the Double-Wide, on top of the cages, but increasingly we saw Fletcher and Fonzie exploring outside.  The Kitty Comforters earmarked them for special attention, and gradually both boys began responding to attention and to tidbits. Flynn remained indoors, and though he explores outside more now, he is still not ready for contact.

Fonzie playing with Fletcher

Quite suddenly we lost Fletcher. Feral cats know that they can be both hunter and prey, and when they are unwell, they are vulnerable and hide away. Fletcher had an inoperable tumour, and all we could do was to let him go peacefully. Fonzie was lost for awhile without his brother; the two of them had played together in the back pens, and life alone took some adjustment. But he is one of the more social cats, and was ready to go with the flow of Sanctuary life.

Thistle

At some point he encountered Thistle. Thistle had come from Vancouver Island, from Broken Promises rescue and arrived with his “sister” Daisy; Daisy was renamed as Aster (there can only be one Daisy at the Sanctuary!) and the two of them were wary of contact. Aster mostly located to the back deck, but Thistle was an outdoors boy, and enjoyed the freedom of the back courtyard.  He is an elegant dark tabby, and though he hung back for awhile, finally started to allow contact with humans.

Fonzie & Thistle

This fall, Thistle and Fonzie have discovered each other, and become very close. They can be found snuggling together on the seat outside the tea-room – sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with Tyson as a third snuggle-buddy. 

Adding black Tyson to the snuggle

They groom each other, they head-bunt, they wander through the courtyard with tails entwined. We have been saying that Fonzie might be added to the Adoptables list, but I think this is one of those times when we need to be looking for someone who would take the two of them together – adoption can be stressful for a cat (especially a former feral) and these two would take comfort in each other.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson