new kitty

He adopted us and is super lovey but no collar, not fixed, and likely not chipped. He's a stray who came to us about a week ago and stuck around after getting food and water and shelter from the winter storm that we had this past week.

The picture is from some time after the snow had started.

We've been calling this one Rodney (as in McKay from Stargate), since we have a brown tuxedo named Jack (O'Neill, Fenton, Sparrow et al) in the house already. However, a new permanent name is being considered. All strays get a name for identification if they stick around, but a housecat gets a permanent name. Rodney is a gray tuxedo with a chin marking.

He stayed around and started not dashing off when we put food out within days after finding us. In fact, he had been with us just a few days when I put food out and he tried to get in the house rather than running off.

He's not feral. We discovered he is super lovey (loves face and shoulder scratches) and is a purr machine, although still a bit jumpy from loud noises or sudden moves, like he had a home but was abandoned, or maybe he was a tamed barn cat. We live in a country area.

We checked all the lost pet listings for our area and didn't see anything like him, so we made a vet appointment and have a plan for bringing him in. If he is FeLV/FIV negative and isn't chipped, he has a furrever home here. Next Wednesday, he'll be neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and possibly washed for fleas/mites (while sleeping off the anesthesia for neutering), then come home and become an indoor kitty. Joining a household with three other cats will be quite an adjustment for everyone.

We've never done this before, but he's so friendly that we can't leave him to the harsh weather or predators. I suspect he'll become a lap kitty, but we won't know until he settles in.

He found us and we're keeping him if everything works out.