Ok, So picture this…
My husband surprises me with (what he thought was) a kitten for Christmas.
Here is his story of how he “rescued” our fur baby Maxy.
SECURE THE KITTEN
Ok. So precisely 8 days before Christmas, my husband starts looking for a kitten. After much research on his part, he realizes “You can’t just buy a kitten from a store like a bag of chips…” So, after a lack of luck on his search, he does more “extensive research,” and narrows down the search to finding a “kitten” ON CRAIGSLIST. (We are now 4 days closer to Christmas).
Per him, he is now presented with options, top 5 if you will. From there the 5 were quickly narrowed down to 2. Out of the 2 that were narrowed down, one stood out completely to him. There was a profile picture with a little Orange Tabby (who we would later call Maxy) wearing a little red bowtie around his neck. He instantly knew he was the one being he was so “distinguished.” IMMEDIATELY he “shot his shot.” He explained to the Craigslist seller, “Hey I really want to adopt this kitten. It is going to be a surprise for my fiancé.”
The person was not reluctant and said “Yeah, Of course, Sure Thing.” They held the “kitten” for him for 2 days.
PROJECT RESCUE
So, because my husband loves to do things at the last minute... On the day of his “Maxy Rescue,” (approximately 2 hours prior to him going to get Maxy,) My husband takes a trip to Walmart and gets (what he calls) a “kitten starter kit.” This consisted of a kennel, liter, a butt load of toys, a few scratching posts, and of course, some gourmet cat food.
Once the starter kit was obtained, he drove 40 miles to the PJs of Charlestown, where he would rescue Maxy.
Upon arrival, he let the “foster cat parents” know he was there. They brought Max down wrapped in a blanket and my husband’s words were “I’ll take it from here.” Once the foster parent put Maxy in my husband’s arms, the SELLER says “that’ll be $150.” My husband was completely blindsided. He was not in any way prepared to PURCHASE a cat, but in that moment - because he really wanted to get me a “kitten,” he was swindled into buying me one. (ADOPT DON’T SHOP!) He takes Maxy, precedes to load him into the kennel and gets him home expeditiously. (As expected, Maxy cried the entire way home.)
MISSION COMPLETE
After a stressful ride for them both, they finally get home. Upon being unloaded, our Maxy was a combination of anxious, scared, confused, and frightened. He initially stayed by the front door as if he were ready to leave.
My husband finally gets him settled in and shows him lots of attention while reassuring him everything is ok. He showed him around the house and tried getting him familiar with everything. From that night they created an unbreakable bond. Per my husband, knowing that food is the key to every creature’s heart, he decided to feed him. Max would not initially eat, so my husband decides to lie down next to his bowl with him to try to get him to eat. After some petting and reassurance, Max FINALLY eats his food. And voila, since that day, Maxo and my husband have been the best of buds.
Fast forward, I get home, and we exchange gifts. (Max was not in the initial gift exchange). After I thought the gift exchange was over, my husband goes into the spare room, and comes out with a CAT. I cried tears of joy, As I could not believe he actually got me a CAT! I say cat because he thought he was a kitten, but Maxy was clearly a GROWN CAT. He was very timid when he met me. He ran into a corner and sat there with his face turned against the wall, like a kid in timeout. So, I decided to lie in the room with him until he got more familiar and comfortable with me. It took me a little while, but I finally captured his little heart!
Welp, that is our story of how we got our Maxy!
Fast forward a year and some change, Max and I like 2 peas in a pod. He is super apprehensive about being around ANY other people whatsoever and oddly prefers only the company of me and my husband.
I hope you enjoyed our story!
By Chere Dunham