As I have said before, I no longer remember the order in which my cats came to me. They all lived out their lives with me, so I had multiple cats for a very long time. What I do remember is each cat’s story. Here’s Fuji’s story.
My ex was disabled, so he never worked more than part-part time. He worked for several different boarding kennels around the county where we lived. Sometimes, I would also pick up extra hours at a kennel, mostly on weekends. Fuji came from one of these kennels.
Some kennels also house rescue animals, either acting as fosters for local rescues, or rescuing themselves and introducing the animals to their clients and putting the word out. This kennel was one of those, until…Until the owner lost her kennel to her two sisters. The previous owner had been an animal lover, and she had several rescue animals housed in the kennel. Once her sisters took over, though, that all changed. If I remember correctly (it was a long time ago, so I may not remember correctly,) they were going to send all animals in the kennel without owners to the local shelter. This would have been the same shelter who killed the feral cat I was trying to spay and return. I wasn’t having it.
One day, I told them I was going to take Fuji (who did not yet have a name. She was just a teeny kitten) to be spayed, and…I just never took her back. Never heard anything about it, either. (Yes. I did get her spayed.)
Fuji was so small, she fit in the palm of my hand. She was just a small cat. She actually didn’t get taken to be spayed for a month or so after I had her. We had to wait for her to grow a little.
She was a firecracker from the beginning! I remember holding her in one hand while I brushed her, and she was just hissing and spitting and threatening me the whole time. It was so cute! My understanding was that she had come from a hoarding situation, which would explain why she was semi-feral.
She stayed somewhat unagreeable for years, but over time, she mellowed out and became a very loving, loyal cat. She was tiny and bossy and didn’t particularly like the other cats, but she learned to live with them. She would go nuts over shoes (I used to call it “shoe crack,”) and she talked. A lot. When she would run, her little head would bobble and bounce. It was hilarious. (I think she was at least partly British shorthair, because of her short, thick neck.) Whenever we’d enter a room, she’d raise her head and give a little grunt or short meow, like she was saying, “ ‘Sup?” By the end of her life, she was one of my most cuddly cats, and through it all, I loved her very much. I believe that, by the time she passed, she was 18 or 19 years old.
She was the only animal that I straight up stole. I wasn’t about to let her go to a kill shelter with a reputation for high kill numbers. I have no regrets. She was amazing. Fuji now rests out back in our pet cemetery, which I can almost see from the kitchen window. I know that she’s always with me.
Oh sweet Fujiko Elizabeth! Love those straightened feetsies!😻 Thank you for giving her the best life.
Beautiful story. Thank you for sharing Fujiko’s memory with us.