Mortimer

Our 13-year-old brown tabby, Oskar, died unexpectedly a week before Christmas 2008. We were absolutely heartbroken and the glimmer of the holidays dimmed for us and for Oskar's two feline friends, Pumpkin, a 21-year-old calico and Freia, a gray and white of about 7 or 8. As we were mourning Oskar, we were thinking of adopting a male cat, when we felt ready. We glanced at the DCFoF website and so many cats needed forever homes. We felt that the best way we could honor Oskar's memory was to give another cat a home. We described the cat that we wanted, a big and friendly orange tabby adult male and Margie suggested Mortimer. We fell in love with him on the website and our friends and co-workers agreed that he looked like a very nice cat. We arranged a visit to his foster home at Geri's the day after Christmas, just to look, because we still were not ready a week after Oskar's death. We said to ourselves, we are just going to look and not make a decision yet. Mortimer was very affectionate and enjoyed being petted and held. He was doing an excellent job on convincing us to take him home. Then a cat carrier opened up and something buff streaked across the room and began to wrestle with Mortimer. Geri explained that Vinny the kitten from the Happy Cat Club was temporarily visiting. Our daughter Kari took one look at Vinny and made up her mind that she wanted him. We left Geri's promising to call when we made our decision. On the way back home, we deliberated between not taking any cats (that was out of the question), adopting only Mortimer and the pluses of the adult cat over the kitten, adopting only Vinny and making Kari happy and or adopting both Vinny and Mortimer. Only thirty minutes ago, we came just to look at cats, and now we were contemplating taking two. We got home and made the phone call committing to both cats and in several hours Geri and Betsy brought Vinny and Mortimer to our house. After a week of being separated from Freia and Pumpkin, they were integrated into the household. Mortimer was renamed Buddy and he lives up to his name. He always has something to say to us, he follows us around, he has the loudest purr. He gives headbutts and kisses and often rolls on his back wanting his belly scratched. Vinny, who has grown from a small kitten into a young adult cat, is Buddy's exercise plan, wrestling and playfighting with the bigger cat. Both cats enjoy sunning spots and perches in our home and a chance to explore the outdoors in a cat-proof fenced yard. In June, our old cat Pumpkin passed away, and Freia has made a grudging peace with the new residents. Every so often, Buddy will wash the other cats and they accept his friendly overtures. We will never forget Oskar and Pumpkin, but Buddy and Vinny have helped us turn our grief into healing. Thank you DCFoF and Happy Cat Club for giving us these wonderful cats. Buddy and Vinny are also on youtube at www.youtube.com/larsensrock Jeff, Inna and Kari Larsen Madison, WI

Mr. Beckett

I'm not at all certain I picked the B’s, as I call them. Amy sent me to the special needs adoption fair to meet them. She thought they might like me. First, Mr. Beckett sat in my arms checking me out, then Billy sat next to me to soak up pets. I've had a lot of feral cats float through my home, but I've never had a pair that actually liked each other and it is adorable and fascinating. They are also amazingly well socialized. I am very impressed. Mr. Beckett is busy either guarding his favorite toy on the floor or using it for a pillow - it's a little hard to tell which he has in mind. I have been known to call him Shamu but I don't think that will be for long - he's getting a lot of exercise now that he's become more comfortable hanging out with me. As for Billy, I've never had a cat who licks me before - I didn't know their tongues were so rough. Alhough it makes sense. I totally adore the B's. They are funny and sweet and take extremely good care of me. They decided I was a useful sort of human and that was that. Now they make sure I start for bed around ten and get up around six and they make me laugh. It feels as though they've always been here. I'm very glad we met. Elena

Billy

I'm not at all certain I picked the B’s, as I call them. Amy sent me to the special needs adoption fair to meet them. She thought they might like me. First, Mr. Beckett sat in my arms checking me out, then Billy sat next to me to soak up pets. I've had a lot of feral cats float through my home, but I've never had a pair that actually liked each other and it is adorable and fascinating. They are also amazingly well socialized. I am very impressed. Mr. Beckett is busy either guarding his favorite toy on the floor or using it for a pillow - it's a little hard to tell which he has in mind. I have been known to call him Shamu but I don't think that will be for long - he's getting a lot of exercise now that he's become more comfortable hanging out with me. As for Billy, I've never had a cat who licks me before - I didn't know their tongues were so rough. Alhough it makes sense. I totally adore the B's. They are funny and sweet and take extremely good care of me. They decided I was a useful sort of human and that was that. Now they make sure I start for bed around ten and get up around six and they make me laugh. It feels as though they've always been here. I'm very glad we met. Elena

Poppy

Poppy was abandonded as a kitten, very sick with frostbitten ears, they didn't think she was gonna make it! Now DCFF took great care of her as a kitten with medication for the respiratory infection and other issues she had. I met this little kitten on a Saturday morning and it was love at first sight! I remember walking into the room and it was a instant connection, she just ran up to me and almost jumped in my arms! It was an instant adoption, but there was the horrible waiting period. I went home, mowed the lawn, thinking about that sweet little kitten with every pass of the mower, I had to have her! I picked her up from the feral barn on Sun. morning at 10:00, she was in my lap purring up a storm by 1:00. That was June 1, 2003, best decision I ever made! Now here it is 5-6 years later, Poppy is doing great living a happy, healthy life, she's a bit spoiled living in this big house, but she is just as sweet and cute as the day I first brought her home!

Tulip

Tulip I adopted Tulip (now Lorée) last March when she was four months old. When I brought her home she was very timid. However, over the course of a few months she became one of the most friendly cats I have ever known! She now expects anyone who visits to give her their full attention, and if they don't she sits on top of the refrigerator and meows until they change their mind. Thank you Friends of Ferals! -Leah Fink