Friday, February 6, 2015

Former Foster Friday - Lion


Our first Former Foster Friday February is by Laurie who adopted our little Cowardly Lion..


We already had four fluffy cats in our small apartment when I saw the Cowardly Lion on Connie’s blog in November 2013. Four was our limit. They were all friends. Our vet had given us a stern lecture once, when we asked about adopting a fifth cat. Five was the tipping point, she said, when tough behavioral problems often started.


We didn’t want trouble, so I tried to forget about Lion. But Connie kept posting photos of him, and I kept looking. Why wasn’t anyone adopting him? His little face haunted me. From his eyes, I knew everything I needed to know about him. Deep down, I felt he was mine, although my head kept denying it.


I put him on my Christmas list but that didn’t pan out. Finally, in mid-January, it was decision time. So Lion came to live with us on a “trial” or “foster” basis for a few weeks while we decided whether we should keep him.


He turned out to be a born diplomat. As soon as he left the carrier, he set out to win over each of us. He was patient, observant, polite, and sweet. Toffee, our mellow brown tabby, quickly adopted him. Possum and Wendy, our five-year-old rescues, took longer to come around, but did.


Harris, our clever, spoiled “baby,” wanted to stay the baby. So he took Lion’s stuff. He stole everything Lion had brought with him: his collar, his favorite red mouse, and even his fleece blanket from Connie. Harris dragged Lion’s things through the apartment and into his own space. And Lion let him. Soon they were curling up together.


Lion needed all of his powers to win over my husband, who was being unusually resistant. Jumping into his lap to snuggle finally did the trick, but not until March. I was ambivalent, too. I drove my friends crazy with my weeks of dithering and worrying about whether we could handle having many geriatric cats at once someday. But it only took me about a day to know that giving up Lion would be agonizing.


Fortunately, I’m a wimp. I could not foster kittens and send them off to live with strangers, as Connie has done hundreds of times. She is brave and optimistic; I’m not. All Lion had to do was look into my eyes and lick my nose, and I was done for… whether I admitted it or not.


A year later, we love him madly. He’s purring next to me as I type this, occasionally swatting at the cursor. He has grown into a gentleman and a character — as I knew he would. He has a loving, charming personality. He comes when called, sometimes. He’s smart and talkative. He plays fetch. He snuggles adorably. He cuddles with his brothers. He’s passionate about pole toys and drinking straws. He’s also gorgeous, with his silky coat, his eyeliner, his wise old eyes and funny little smile.

Four things I’ve learned from Lion: 1) We had plenty of room for him. If you feel you could fit one more, do it. Save a life and enrich your own. 2) I’m not cut out to foster. 3) Connie “makes” fabulous kittens. If you get a chance, adopt one of her fosters. 4) Listen to your heart and tell your head to be quiet. It saves time. It brings joy.


Connie here again. I know Laurie talked about adopting Lion as a trial - but I knew from the minute she said she wanted him (ok probably the second time she said it) that it was fate.. It just took her a while to work it out. 

22 comments:

  1. what a great update - and a wonderful adoption story as well. looks like he found his purrfect home :)

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  2. What a great story! It was all meant to be, and Lion is sure a handsome man cat.

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  3. What a wonderful follow up! It seems he has been the perfect fit, personality-wise. A happy "ending" for all!

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  4. Great failed foster story (even if it wasn't really a foster!). Lion and Laurie are lucky to have found one another, and it would seem he's found the perfect forever home with his other floofy fur sibs.

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  5. This "foster fail" turned into quite a "win". Such a nice outcome. He is a gorgeous cat and deserves the wonderful home he was adopted into.

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  6. That last picture is stunning! And what a great follow-up. As an apartment dweller, it was nice to hear about the number of kitties and how it worked out. It definitely has me thinking about more...

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  7. What a sweet story, both for the human and the cat.

    Emma and Buster

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  8. Great story of a beautiful cat ! Purrs

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  9. What a wonderful; story!!

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  10. Yay! We love when a kitty find such a wonderful and loving forever home.

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  11. one word: LOVE!!!!!

    This made my day!

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  12. What a great story! Lion has grown into a handsome cat.

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  13. Lion sounds a lot like me, when I came home - I won the other kitties over by being nice too. :)

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  14. What a wonderful and heartwarming story. Thank you so much for sharing it. Mom says that like Laurie, she knows she could not foster. She had to find homes for lots of kittens at one time, but most were not here long enough for her to get attached. Please join us Sunday for our Selfies blog hop. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  15. When its meant to be it just is,wonderful story,xx Rachel

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  16. Thanks for inviting me to contribute Lion's story, Connie. And thank you everyone for your lovely comments! Laurie & Lion

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  17. What a sweetie, I am so glad you kept him and everything worked out. There's always room for one more- I say, but hubby capped me off at 15 :)

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  18. We are glad you kept him, I bet he is too!
    Have a great weekend...

    Noodle and crew

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  19. Thanks for the update, and a great story

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  20. What a gorgeous guy, and a great story. I keep thinking about Lena. I hope her new home works out for her.

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  21. Such a wonderful story and post...we are so happy for Lion and his loving forever home! We just noticed Ann's comment above, did Lena get adopted?...We still think about her.

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  22. We love foster fail stories! Lion found the purrfect home, and it was the one he was in! :)

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