October 30, 2022

“Crosby – I heard Mom and Dad talking the other day about all the new cats at True Rescue!”

“Yes, Buddy. They brought back 32 cats & dogs from Florida after the Hurricane, remember? And lots of them have gotten adopted already!”

“But there is one shy cat from Florida that no one is adopting, and it makes Mom sad. 3 weeks in a row, people come through the building and look at all the cats, and have been picking ones to adopt, but never this guy. He just sits in a back corner of the building, next to a window, afraid to come out into the main room because he has been declawed.”

“Crosby, what does it mean to be de-clawed? We have all our claws, don’t we?”

“Yes, Buddy, we do. But sometimes people don’t want their cats scratching their furniture, so they have a vet pull their claws out. Then they can’t scratch anything. It’s very mean to do, and also really painful for the cat.”

“Can’t they just trim their toenails like Mom and Dad do to us?”

“Yes, Buddy – they could. But some people are idiots and don’t care that it’s painful to their cat. Also, the cat can’t protect itself from bullies or even catch birds or mice if it gets lost and is outside with no place to live or eat.”

“This cat’s name is Nickleback. Mom brings him a special bowl of food every day she is there, because he doesn’t come out and eat at chow time with all the other cats. She thinks he’s too scared. In Florida, he was called a ‘Community Cat’, which is a nice way of saying he was a stray, eating scraps that he could find and living on the streets.”

“You mean he was homeless, Crosby?”

“Yes, Buddy. He was found with his head/neck stuck in a metal grate on a big bridge that goes out to Sanibel Island. Some kind people saved him, got him out of the grate, and took him to Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County in Florida. He had injuries to his head & neck, and a sore right hip from trying to free himself from the metal grate. So he was at the shelter on a stray hold September 20th for 10 days, hoping someone would come look for him or claim him. They even gave him a microchip, so if he got lost again, the chip would help a vet or shelter find his owner. Then the hurricane hit on the 28th and it got really crazy at the shelter. They lost power, and had to take in lots of animals that were left homeless after the storm. They even took x-rays of his right hip on the 29th to make sure it wasn’t broken or anything. In early October True Rescue brought him up to Tennessee, along with 31 other cats, kittens, dogs & puppies. Now Mom wants to bring him home to live with us! He’s only about 2 years old so he would fit in good!”

“Crosby, I heard Dad tell Mom that they would have to make sure we aren’t mean to him if they bring him home, and would have to do a ‘test run’. That means if it doesn’t work out, he would have to go back to True Rescue? We have to be nice to him so he can stay forever!!”

“Yes, Buddy. We have to play gentle with him – he’s only about half as big as we are so we can’t be mean or wrestle with him. And we have to make sure that Junior is nice to him too.”

So Ted and Rosie went to visit Nickleback on October 31st. He was dressed in a Halloween costume that was very dignified for him. The ladies at True Rescue said he was the “administrative assistant to the administrative assistant of the executive team”.

They took him home that morning to meet Buddy and Crosby, and to try out his new home. He spent the first day in a nice sunny room with his very own cat tree, 3 different cat beds, fresh water and food…all for him! The door was closed to give him time to settle in. Buddy and Crosby were curious with the scent of a new cat and wanted to meet him, stretching their paws under the door to say hello. Rosie and Ted spent a lot of time with him, petting him, holding him, making him feel secure and welcome in his new home. His name was shortened to “Nicky” and they tried out all kinds of different food to find something he liked. True Rescue had advised that he loved fish flavors, and not pate – only the ones with lots of gravy!

On day 2, the door was opened and with close monitoring, Crosby and Buddy came in to meet their new step-brother. After lots of sniffing came some nose-butts, but no hissing or fighting. Things were looking good…

On day 3, Nicky had the run of the house, and joined his new brothers to explore. He met Miss Junior, who was coming in at night to eat & sleep, then going back to her favorite outdoors in the sunny daylight hours. They showed him where 2 more litter boxes were located, more cat trees in windows, and most important – the big bed where they snuggled at night with Mom and Dad! But Nicky had another place he wanted to be – in Dad’s lap, watching TV and napping with him!

He had found “his person”…and Ted found his lap cat! They share the lazy-boy at TV time, Nicky snuggles alongside him at bedtime, and Ted makes sure he gets to eat all his wet food before Buddy comes along to clean up leftovers. Crosby has shown him his favorite lounging spot to watch for birds and the Chewy delivery truck.

And another surprise came to us with this very special Florida cat…he is a Hemingway Polydactyl!! Polydactyl cats are born with more than the usual number of toes on their paws. While most cats have five toes on their front paws and four toes on their back paws, polydactyl cats can have six (or more) on each paw.

Polydactyl Cats Are Considered Lucky…

Back in the day, polydactyl cats were a common sight on long journeys by ship. With the help of their large, wide paws, polydactyl cats made excellent mousers and could keep the ship’s supplies vermin-free. Plus, their paws helped them balance on rocky seas.

Ernest Hemingway Loved Polydactyl Cats…

Have you ever wondered why polydactyl cats are sometimes referred to as Hemingway cats? Well, it’s because Ernest Hemingway loved them. After he was gifted a white, polydactyl cat named Snow Ball by a ship’s captain, Ernest Hemingway developed a serious affection for these multi-toed kitties.

After his death in 1961, his home in Key West, Florida was transformed into a museum and a home for his beloved cats. Currently, the kitty colony is home to about 50 descendants of his original pack of cats—and about half of them are polydactyl.

And then there were 4… Four beautiful rescue cats in all shapes & sizes at The Mietzel home. Miss Junior, Crosby, Buddy, and Nicky!