One Cat and Family's Journey...



Roscoe outside of our balcony.

Family pets are usually special because they share bonds with family members that are unique and personal.  Usually, family pets have a master they love and cherish and in our family, we have Roscoe and Aslan.  Rather than considering myself a master to my furries ones, I am their provider, their keeper, and most importantly, their surrogate mom. 

In the past when we vacationed for a length period of time, I would hire a sitter to come and tend to my cats a couple times a week.  With the move to Maryland and the cost of living here, the going rate for a sitter around Frederick was around $20.00 per visit as opposed to Newark, Delaware where I was billed $7.00 per day.  We were going to Wisconsin for 10 days and the cost of having someone come in would have been over $100 easy considering they would come every other day.  So I thought that by taking the cats with us, it would save some money as well as start my cats on their traveling experience.  The decision did not take long to transpire as my parents agreed to house them and we worked out all the details.  Perfect! 



Roscoe was very restless on our trip.

I was nervous about taking the cats on a long trip and the second voice in me whispered "impending doom" over and over in the last 48 hours before we embarked was weird but not enough to cause me alarm.  (Those words are not the words I would use, actually.)  I had a hanging feeling that something was going to happen but I had no idea what.  It was not a bad feeling though yet I could not figure out what it was.  I usually follow my intitutions but this time, I could not place the feeling with what.  Now as I am writing this, I am amazed at how blind I really was because bringing cats on road trips isn't of our norms so hence the warning.   

Loud and whiny in his cage!

The trip to Wisconsin was a trip from hell because Roscoe, my dear boy made the trip so long and unbearable with his constant crying and yelling.  While Aslan was the opposite and he was very quiet, Roscoe's cries were so loud and when he was in the crate, he tried to open the gate with his claws and some of his claws chipped so I had to let him out.  With Roscoe out of the cage, it was madness.   It was pretty bad until the sun went down, he started to calm down.  Roscoe was probably more exhausted than anyone else in the car by the time we arrived in Chicago.  When we got to my parents' home and he was freed, Roscoe braved the environment considering there were two other cats living there.  It took a while before Roscoe and Aslan got their footing in the house.

Aslan when he was a kitten

While Aslan is a cute and really sweet but a scaredy-cat (I love him - don't take me wrong), he only comes out at nights after Neva falls asleep (I'm sure he listens to her breathing!), Roscoe was a very tough Alpha type of cat that will follow me everywhere.  He would thrust himself into the refrigerator and try to steal lunch meat and will climb up to the top of the refrigerator or the cabinets and run. He would chase Neva if she ran in the apartment and that helped to keep her from running at times :).  He was always beside me.  Every time Neva and I worked together on crafts, games, puzzles, doing homework or even cleaning rooms, Roscoe always was with us.  Roscoe loved being outdoors and I have stories about him falling off balconies and such.  But above all, Roscoe was my pride and joy and definitely part of our everyday family life experience, however, you want to call it.

Roscoe was not pleased with the new addition. 

Roscoe was doing pretty well at my parents' house and never once did he try to flee from the door as he would at our home sometimes.  I had no reason to think that he would try the night I took out plastic bottles to the recycling bin out in the back.  After I came into the house, my parents' cats got into a snarly fight and I went down to the basement to make sure the eldest cat was alright.  After that, I went straight to bed.  The next morning I awoke and was puzzled that Roscoe was not sleeping with me.  I then assumed that he might as well have slept with Neva as he had before.  After a slow start in the morning, I realized Roscoe hadn't come out like he usually did.  He was not the kind of cat that was not involved in our family life. I began calling him out to no avail and that was unusual.  I started to frantic and brought out the canned food - usually does the trick in bringing the cats out.  Roscoe did not come.  My stomach did the flops as I knew he was gone.  Just like that.   My mom and Neva started helping to look for him and after 45 minutes, I did not want to but had to acknowledge that he was gone.  My mom and I stepped outside and called him out and when mom commented on how her screen window was scratched, I immediately knew it was Roscoe. 

I stayed outside for a long time calling him out and eventually I came to terms that Roscoe was gone because it had snowed that night he snuck out.  I went back into the house and bawled my heart out.  I have not had felt such loss since Shell and my heart broke into pieces.  Roscoe was a special cat to me and to have lost him this way really was really painful.  For about a week, I fell into depression and despair and I am thankful to my parents for being very understanding and they helped me in any way they could.  Especially out in the cold and the snow, I feared for the worst and it affected me so much psychologically and emotionally.  I printed flyers and Neva and I went to our neighbors and passed them out.  Neva insisted on being with me and I thought it was good to allow her to process this experience.  I posted one at the food store, on CraigsList, and Facebook.  At the time, posting on Craigslist didn't strike me as a site people would go to to find pets but I was desperate.  I also called the Humane Society in Racine and left messages there about Roscoe in case as well as filing a missing cat online. 

We were supposed to visit other family members that week but I canceled because I was so stricken with grief and could not pull myself together.  Instead, I stayed at my parents' house hoping that Roscoe would show up but he did not.  We put out canned food but it froze so that was fruitless.  I put out his crate and scratching pad hoping he would catch the scent.  But considering how cold it was, I felt defeated.  Not only that but when we were waiting and hoping for Roscoe's return, Aslan came out looking for him every night which broke my heart.  Roscoe was like a brother to him. 

We had to return back to Maryland for work and school so we left with two crates and one was empty.  It was a very painful ride home.  Back home, Aslan constantly was looking for Roscoe and I felt so bad for him so I decided that perhaps I would adopt or foster a cat that would help with the loss.  It was like a quick band-aid fix and bad decision-making on my part.  I came across a cat in Annapolis that looked a bit like Roscoe but it was a female cat with long hair.   We took a chance and went over and thought she was cool. We named her Moxie and she was abandoned in a basement after the renter moved out.    We took her home but quickly realized that she had territorial issues.  She had no claws but she would hiss so bad that would spook Aslan to his dark corner for days.  I did not find that acceptable.  It was Aslan's home first so I would expect that Aslan continue to come out at nights but he stopped coming out.  I was worried about his well-being and began to urinate outside of the litter which never was a problem before.   Although Moxie was cute and affectionate, she was not healthy for Alsan.  However, a friend of mine and her boyfriend came out for a visit, it appeared that Moxie and the boyfriend hit it off and agreed that he would take Moxie, it worked out well! 

After Moxie left, Aslan began to show his true self and became a bit braver.  He would come out and sleep with me which he never did before.  Aslan appeared to be more visual around us and I really appreciated that.   We had the opportunity to connect with each other during those times.



Aslan began sleeping with me.

Ever since we left Wisconsin, I have received a couple of phone calls and emails about sightings and it was never Roscoe.  Every time I heard their messages, my heart lept but was disappointed when I learned it was not him.  I updated Roscoe's picture on Craigslist about two or three weeks ago as my hope of finding him did not stop yet I was less hopeful than I was before.  My mom mentioned to me one night over VP that someone had called her and saw Roscoe on 17th street in Racine and I cried.  I asked her to not tell me anything until Roscoe was actually found.  This all was too painful. 



Picture of Roscoe sent to me from the shelter.

Then last week Tuesday morning, like most mornings, I checked my phone for messages and I got one from Humane Society - a woman named Star who was apparently someone that works at the Racine Humane (Societyhttp://www.wihumane.org/racine.aspx) that also had previously alerted me about finding cats, emailed me a picture of Roscoe.  I lept out of bed ever so quickly and screamed!  ROSCOE!!!  This began the journey of joy, heartache, and slow recovery for everyone involved.

A picture of Roscoe...people asked me how I knew it was him and I told them that I just knew.  It was him!  The process of getting him released from the shelter was complicated as they required owners to pick their pets up them but I was in Maryland so they took the time and decided to allow my mom to take Roscoe with my paying over the phone for the costs incurred while Roscoe was there which was fine.  Mom said Roscoe was scared and all - and when we were on Facetime, I called out to him and he responded.

The plan was to meet my parents in Toledo, OH. and stay overnight and retrieve Roscoe did not happen as my father fell ill and eventually went to the hospital.  So Neva and I left Frederick Friday night at 5pm and stopped in Toledo, OH at around midnight.  Then the next morning, we left at around 6am to head to Wisconsin.  As we approached closer to home, I had butterflies in my stomach and remembered all the things about Roscoe that I loved so much.  We arrived at the house, I quickly went inside and went directly to the room where Roscoe was.  However, when I got there, he wasn't anywhere to be seen.  My vision of how our reunion would happen did not happen.  Not even close. 

Roscoe hid in the closet which was out of character for him to do but when my mom got him out, he was so scared that I had to let him go.  He ran under the bed and I was just shocked.  I knew he would be different but not that different in behavior and looks.   We managed to get him on the bed and I was starting to feel unsure if it was actually Roscoe.  He looked so much bigger, the color of his fur was so much lighter and the feel was thick and rough.  Roscoe's fur was usually dark grey and had a velvet feel to it.  He was covered in dandruff and his face was just bigger.  It was true that he was outside for some time so he had weathered the cold and that would explain his thicker fur.  I asked for some time alone with him and I checked his nose for a scar and it was slightly visible.  I then checked his paws and my world crashed right there.  No claws?!  This wasn't Roscoe!  I got up from the bed and went to my parents and said, "This is not Roscoe! Roscoe has claws and this cat doesn't."  My parents looked shocked, poor them!  I had to sit down because I was so excited about having Roscoe back and made a really long trip to get him back - all for nothing?!  I felt so light-headed and my stomach became really upset.  After some discussion, I decided to take this cat with us to Maryland.  I was truly upset and heartbroken because I didn't think that anyone would bother to declaw Roscoe - for what reason if it was truly Roscoe.  The only link I had to him was his scar on the nose so I was somewhat convinced that it may have been Roscoe. 



Can you see the spot?

Roscoe was not vocal when he was in the car driving back like he was when we came to Wisconsin.  I feared that this confirmed it was not Roscoe.  After some time traveling back to Toledo, OH., Neva wanted to take Roscoe out of the crate.  When she did pull him out and was positioning him on her lap, I suddenly noticed a spot on his back that finally confirmed it was indeed ROSCOE!  Last year in Delaware, Neva had a moment with my scissor and cut Roscoe's whiskers and some fur on his back.  Yes, I scolded her for what she did but now, I'm thankful she did just that!

Sleeping with Neva at the hotel.

We arrived at the hotel in Toledo and Roscoe was doing ok considering but I worried about the noises in the hotel. We left the room to go swimming and returned back to the room. Roscoe hid under the bed which I wished he hadn't because he never had to do to that before. However, as the night went, Roscoe was slowly warming up and he was able to fall asleep with us. 

First picture together after being reunited

Upon our arrival back to Maryland and to our apartment, I was nervous yet excited to have him back home.  However, to our surprise, Roscoe and Aslan immediately sat together in the corner and spent some time together quietly.  This was their first picture after being reunited after a month.   This also was a confirmation that Roscoe is the Roscoe that we loved and still love so much! 








The road to recovery will be a long one for Roscoe as well as for us.  He is not as his old spunky self who was mischief by nature.  Roscoe never attempted to sneak out to the balcony again and is afraid when he is outside.  He stopped climbing up on counters, to the top of the refrigerator or on top of the cabinets.  Roscoe stopped playing as he loved to play catch. Roscoe hides behind the couch, under the bed, or inside the cabinet and this time, Aslan has a company.  This is heartbreaking for me because Roscoe was unique in his own right, strutting his stuff around the home and that was what linked me to him.  However, he feels so vulnerable right now without his claws and that is really painful to see.  Roscoe is slowly coming out now and is more comfortable sleeping out in the open on my bed.  He sometimes goes under the blanket and I suppose this is his way of feeling secure.  He is comfortable with sleeping with me and today, he was able to lay down with Neva which is great to see!

Roscoe's physique right now is returning back to normal.  His fur had turned dark again and the feel of his fur is velvet rather than rough.  He had shrunk, not as buff as we first saw him again.  Roscoe had so much stress knots in his neck and back.  I gave him massages and this picture was taken after one of his massages.  He is looking a lot more like the Roscoe we know. 

Aslan and Roscoe sleeping on Neva.

The story behind why and how Roscoe came back to us declawed will always be a mystery.  When I got Roscoe from a family two years ago, they made me promise to never declaw him. I assured the family that I was against the declawing of pets and will never do that to Roscoe. I had a hypothesis about what happened and it is possible that someone had found Roscoe little after he left us and attempted to keep him.  Roscoe is very strong and he used his claws well.  That person may have taken him to the vet and declawed him in hope to keep him.  However, Roscoe was never theirs to keep.  Either Roscoe's became isolated that the person didn't want him anymore and sent him to the shelter OR Roscoe ran off again and someone else found him and brought him to the shelter.  This is the only reasonable explanation I  have.  Declawing any pet is never right and it will always be because it is a benefit to the human, not to the animal.  Roscoe can now never defend himself and to me, that is the cruelest thing to do to him. 

It is amazing to see that Roscoe is back in our lives after a bit more than a month.  It is just meant for all of us to be together and I am so happy that people out there care about each other.  I am thankful to Star, whom I have never met for checking CraigsList and not being hesitant in contacting me.  I am so grateful to the time, energy and love spent with animals at the Racine Humane Society.    So if you lose your furry ones, please don't give up.  Use the internet - you'll be amazed at how helpful it is!  Roscoe is back with us to his rightful family and our hearts are filled with love and blessings. 

UPDATES as of 2/25/13

Neva took this photo of us this morning - I was surprised!

Roscoe's ears had been bothering him since we brought him back home so I took him to the vet.  I thought it may have been some mites but it turned out he had an infection in both ears so he is being treated right now.  Roscoe is slowly but surely returning back to himself.  He is still not as curious as he was before and definitely is avoiding doors leading him outside.  It is strange but he is much more affectionate now than he was and he accepts scratches and rubs on the tummy which he did not like before.  Roscoe's definitely a changed cat but not necessarily for the worse although I wish he would continue to be his curious self and be with me all the time.   Perhaps someday he will be!  He is back to his play-self with Aslan and they play all night long and by the time I wake up, he's ready to sleep.  Here are some pictures that were taken yesterday and today!

Sleeping peacefully with his rightful owner...

Catching a cat-nap on my legs..