Loverboy

Loverboy is another of Doc's refugees. He was a stray that was brought into one of the clinics she works at after he'd been hit by a car. His right hind leg was smashed, with bones piercing the skin, and by the time he was rescued, there were gangrene and maggots already working on that leg, so it needed to be amputated clear up to the hip socket. He's a neutered Norwegian Forest cat, approximately a year old. After he began to heal, he was given access to the resident cats at the clinic and seemed to get along well with everybody, and he seemed fairly happy being the newest clinic cat. The only problem was that he kept trying to get outside every time a client came in or went out, and for his safety's sake he needed to be kept indoors at all times. Once again, a plea from my Doc - "He needs a good home where he won't be allowed out." So, once his stitches were removed, Loverboy came to live with us in the beginning of July 1998.

Loverboy, hanging out

He's so handsome, and like most Norwegian Forest cats, is quite talkative. He has quite a collection of chirps and trills, but he totally cracks me up when he's complaining - he sounds like a grumpy old man muttering to himself. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate me laughing at his complaining, but I can't help myself. He has taken up permanent residence in my front window, and has learned that attempts to sneak out the door fail, since there's a hallway between my living room door and the outside door which functions as a kind of air-lock system. So he doesn't even try to escape any more, and has seemed to adapt quickly to being an indoor-only kind of guy. He loves to curl up in the box on the bottom of the cat condo and try to catch the tail of whichever sister is lying in the tube above.

During the spring of 1999 he became incredibly social, being the "catification" of his name - he follows me about, begging for attention and cuddles. He loves to be held like a baby and have his throat skritched. He's so cute when he walks - step, step, hop - but he's faster than almost any cat at the Zoo when he runs. He manages to navigate the hardwood floors quite well, using the "skid" to his advantage in turns. If you're ever wondering if a three-legged cat can have a "normal" life, doubt no more - Loverboy is living proof that they can!