Who Am I, and Why am I Here?

Max-Theodore  (MK)

Last summer we had a big orange cat come to the Adoption Centre through a connection from a past staff member – his owner had died, and the cat, who had been an indoor/outdoor pet, needed somewhere safe to go.  He came to us with the name of Max.  We’ve had four previous feline Maxes, and now we have a human Max on staff, and a volunteer Max as well, so the big boy was renamed Theodore (though sometimes referred to as Maxodore).

(MK)

When he arrived he was badly matted, and needed a serious lion-cut shave-job;  for the first part of his stay at the AC the big naked boy was often seen lounging around in the windows. We hoped that someone would adopt him from there, but he was not a happy camper – he was stressed by all the changes in his life, and by all the other cats around the Adoption Centre in the summer, and sadly, he decided to express his feelings in urine and was relocated to the Sanctuary.

(KN)

This move necessitated another cage-stay, much to his disgust – it was at least one of the big cages in the Connor building, and Kitty Comforters and volunteers could sit with Max/Theodore, and give him some company. He’s a cat who doesn’t take to just anyone; he’s happier with people than with other cats, but he tends to be aloof, and we work on his agenda, not ours. He is now out and about; we will sometimes find him around the SingleWide porch, or sitting in the sun, but he seems to base himself on the Connor cage-tops when he wants to get away.

(BC)

His naming is still iffy; having been released into the front Courtyard, he is now encountering another Theodore – one who is part of a feral trio who hang out around the Old Rabbit Area.  Some of the Kitty Comforters continue to call him Max – it’s the name he’s familiar with, after all, and he’s obviously unhappy enough with his surroundings that making him answer to an unfamiliar sound would seem to compound his sense of being out of focus.

(BC)

He reminds me very much of fellow-orange Sam, who came to us in similar circumstances, tolerated humans, hated cats, and was then adopted by someone who wanted a cat who wanted to live alone. Like Sam, Max/Theodore can be reactive around other cats, but very sweet with humans; a couple of visitors told me last week that they’d had a lovely quiet time sitting with him. 

Enjoying the evening sun from his bed near the Single-Wide (BC)

I suspect that his peeing is less a bad habit and more a need to cancel other cat-smells; he might do very well in a home where the only smell is his own, and where he has time to establish his own territory without urine coming into it. Some of the cats that come to us with a "pee-er" label just like to pee (like Ollie), but others have become so because of environmental or family stresses, and the effect of quietness, no other cats, and perhaps a pheromone diffuser, can ease those stresses.

"I don't share!"  (BC)

Max-Theodore is a quiet boy with a sense of dignity, and a clear personal boundary that does not welcome other cats, but enjoys gentle human attention that does not require him to perform. He’s not likely to be a lap-cat initially, but I could see him as a gentle companion. If you know anyone who might welcome the company of this handsome gentleman, please contact the Adoption Centre and request an introductory date!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Mike Kossey, Karen Nicholson