Feline Friday: Redford

 We could use some good thoughts for my sisters’ cat Redford.  He’s 15 years old (we think) and hasn’t been feeling well. 

Let me tell you about Redford.  He’s an orange cat with a naturally short tail. 

Back in 2011, my kids and I were living with my parents and my sisters.  At the time we had two cats.

There was the diminutive Daisy.

And the rather fluffy Mr. Kitty.

  

And then one cold, miserable January day, I came home to find an orange cat sitting on our front porch.  A full grown Tom, he’d obviously been someone’s pet, but now found himself abandoned. Of course my sisters decided to feed him.

And once you feed a cat…they’re not leaving.

My sisters looked at that orange fur and that flat, Manx-like tail, and named him Redford.  Bob Redford, to be precise.

The vet said Redford was probably about 3 years old when he found us.

So now we were a family with three cats.  And Daisy was clearly the alpha, with both boys under her tiny paw.

Nine months later, Daisy crossed the rainbow bridge.  And the feline dynamic changed, with the boys becoming best buddies.

  

  

And then, in 2016, Mr. Kitty left us, and Redford became an “only”.

Redford would greet me when I came home, climbing all over my car, and sometimes even inside the car — but would panic if I closed the door when he was inside. 

Redford’s exploits as a hunter are legendary, he used to spend a lot of time in the woods behind my parents’ house and often brought home prey — my sisters had to rescue chipmunks and bunnies many times.  Sadly, he sometimes encountered animals who were larger and stronger — there were a few vet bills after some of his encounters. (Yet another reason for my Shadow to be a strictly-indoor cat.)

He is a sweet, loving cat.  So when my sister told me, at the end of February, that Redford was ill and the vet was not optimistic …

He rebounded, but still … 

My sisters love their cat and they’re taking excellent care of him.  He’s comfortable and happy.  But he can use your good thoughts.