Abys in Need – A Happy Ending for Topaz

You may recall my post of a couple of weeks ago about a handsome red/sorrel Aby who was found in a parking lot in Alexandria, VA. Well, I am happy to report that he has found a new home.

The following emails were sent to one of my Aby lists:

First, his rescuer wrote: Thanks so much for your help. I have gotten a few “nibbles” already, but nothing that suitable yet. There has plenty of time to assess his personality, and Topaz really needs to be an only cat, but all the respondents to your SOS email thus far have been people looking for a second or third Aby to join their family.

Also, I do not think that he would travel well, so potential adopters in places in Texas just won’t do. I’m hoping to find him a home in the Greater Washington DC area of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. That covers a lot of territory, so, hopefully, someone out there would like to adopt Topaz.

I sent a more detailed response to someone else that I will share with you below because this response has more background information that you may find useful:

Emails are not the best way to communicate because they are so brief, so please allow me to go into more detail. I did not rescue Topaz last week when I sent the email to ARL (The Abyssinian Rescue League). I actually rescued him in November just before the holiday season started, so there has been ample opportunity for an owner to step forward to claim him, but that has not happened.

I have over 20 years of experience in animal rescue. As soon as I rescued him, I took him to my vet immediately to have him checked for a microchip and to do an exam and basic tests and shots. There was no chip. I also filed “found pet” reports and checked local shelters, vets, rescue groups for reports of missing Abys, canvassed the neighborhood for missing cat flyers, checked nearby apartment/condo buildings for reports of lost pets, checked the newspapers, pet blogs, Craigslist for lost pet notices, etc. I have done all the steps to locate an owner several times, but no one has claimed him. It is sad for any pet to be abandoned, especially such an unusual animal as Topaz. Unfortunately, though, as we animal rescuers know all too well, some people do abandon pets. When it is time to move, they leave the pet behind and then get a new pet at their new destination. I privately refer to such people as serial pet killers.

There are plenty of purebred pets on death row in animal shelters who can attest to the fact that even purebreds get abandoned. I, too, am amazed that this exceptional little fellow was dumped on the street, but that seems to be what happened. I could not believe what my eyes were seeing when I first spotted him slinking down the sidewalk in front of the mall! Even from a distance, I could immediately tell that he was either a purebred Aby or Oriental Shorthair who had no business being on the street!

The only other possibility that has occurred to me is that perhaps his owner died, and no surviving relative wanted that cat, so he was dumped. Unfortunately, that happens too. Based on reports from shopkeepers at the shopping mall where I found him, he was out there for about two weeks. One of the shop clerks left food for him. That is probably the only reason that he survived until I spotted him. It was pure chance that I was driving by at the right time and spotted him. What are the odds that an animal rescuer would drive by at just the right time — especially an animal rescuer who planned to go trapping that night to rescue a different cat, so food bait and a trap were on hand. After he got friendly with me, I just picked him up and popped him into the trap and took him to the vet. I seem to have my own “Thanksgiving” tradition of rescuing an animal from the street in November.

No one has filed a report of a missing pet Aby, no one has checked with local shelters about a lost Aby, etc. Some people go away for the holidays and the pet escapes while the in the care of the pet sitter, but there has been plenty of time for the owner to return from the holidays and reclaim, but that has not happened. Sometimes an owner has an accident or becomes ill and is hospitalized for a few weeks. Plenty of time has elapsed for an owner who was temporarily incapacitated to reclaim him, but no one has claimed him. During this waiting period, though, some good things have happened. His pawpads have healed (living on the street chapped his pads), he has gained weight, and now he is in good condition now for rehoming. I did not want to place him during the holidays any way since that is a bad time for pets to be adopted, so I wanted to wait until the New Year before mounting a full-scale effort for adoption.

He is a lovely cat, but no one can keep every animal that he or she rescues, and he really needs to be an only cat. I suspect that he was an only cat in his previous home because he is not fond of other animals. Since he is an Aby, I thought that it made sense to reach out to the Abyssinian Rescue League for help in finding him a new home. Any help that you can give would be most welcome. Finding a home with an experienced Aby owner would be ideal.

And, then, happy news! Topaz found his dream home! Sharon sent this follow-up to the Aby list:

I have very good news to share with you: I have found a wonderful home for Topaz,the young Abyssinian whom I found abandoned on the streets in Northern Virginia. Topaz will reign supreme as the only pet in a home where he will be spoiled rotten. The gentleman who is adopting comes from a family of experienced animal rescuers. He has wanted to adopt an Aby for some time, but he wanted to adopt a rescue animal. Finding a rescue Aby is not easy since Aby owners take tremendously good care of their pets, but, at last, his dream has come true with his adoption of Topaz.

I would like to thank you and your colleagues with their assistance in this search for a new home for Topaz. Several people responded to the “SOS” that you sent on behalf of Topaz, but, since Aby people love Abys so much that they have more than one Aby, none of them could offer Topaz a home where he would be the only pet. Your support and theirs, though, meant a great deal to me as I searched for the right home for Topaz.

Let’s hear it for happy endings! I’m so glad to hear that this boy has a new home.

Aby-a-Day – February 22: Wordless Wednesday (Angel’s good eye)

Aby-a-Day – February 21: Everyday I’m Strollerin’ (Cartoon Tuesday)

I say this all the time about Jacoby and his stroller; you have to admit, it’s a pretty pimped out ride.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Emmy and Allie – An Update!

Kelly, who found her younger Aby, Allie, through this blog, sent me this update today:

I took this short video this weekend of my two girls. As you can see, they have quickly become the best of friends. Allie is getting so big so fast. They always grow up too quickly!

How adorable is this? Didn’t I say they’d be fast friends before long?

Aby-a-Day – February 20: Statuesque (Hipstamatic Monday)

Jacoby sometimes seems to pose without even trying.

I came upon him sitting on the cat tree in the entryway, doing a very nice impression of an Egyptian Bastet sculpture.

He was doing it without there being a camera pointed at him, but once I did aim a camera at him, he kicked it up a notch.

“I see you, camera.”

Look at him flex!

Such a ham.

My husband set his coffee mug down next to Jake, and even that, his reaction to the coffee mug, is a photo op for my little camera ham kitty.

I love this little brown guy.

Aby-a-Day – February 19: Nom nom nom

I love to watch Angel eat.

She doesn’t really like to eat on the floor, so she lifts her head and looks around frequently.

Sometimes, she needs to chew.

When I flip through these photos quickly on my camera, they look like a little movie. It’s like one of those old-style cartoon flip books we used to make.

Heads will roll!

I just had to share this with you all. Abyfriend Mycrobe, who made the wonderful catnip sampler I posted about this week, just listed a fabulous new creation: A Catnip Abyssinian Head!

How great is this? I love the description, too: Is it an Abyssinian cat or is it a mutant rabbit? You decide! Well, I say it’s an Aby, and I say it’s awesome!

Aby-a-Day – February 18: Saturday night bath

Angel loves the top of the cat tree.

She obviously feels very safe and secure up there, as evidenced by her bathing routine.

I mean, she feels really secure up there!

Even though Tessie is just over there on the top of the other tree, too.

Of course, Tessie is on Angel’s blind side, so maybe Angel doesn’t know she’s there.

Aby-a-Day – February 17: Brotherly love (Friday Flashback)

A cat photo community I’m a member of runs a weekly theme contest. This week, the theme was “Lovey-Dovey Cats,” and I entered this photo of Patrick and Gun-Hee:

Trick and Gun-Hee were both born in the Year of the Dog, and as such were 12 years apart in age (in this photo, Trick is 12 and Gun-Hee is 4 months). Gun-Hee adored Patrick from the start (I’ve always noticed an unlikely bond between my cats born in the same Chinese zodiac year; Harri and Tessie were both born in Goat years and were also friends right from the start despite their age difference). Patrick, who always preferred boycats to females, grew fonder of Gun-Hee than he ever was of Tessie and Kylie, despite knowing them longer.

These two were taken the day after we brought Gun-Hee home! Already Gun-Hee was trying to cuddle with Patrick…although Patrick wasn’t really sure about the newcomer yet.

They were such an unlikely pair!

Abys in Need: Special needs Ruddy kitten needs a home in Boston!

OMG! Kim (Clancy and Finn’s mom) sent me this link…with the comment “Always room for one more.” *sigh* I wish…

URGENT NEED — SPECIAL NEEDS KITTEN!!
14 week old Abyssinian purebred ruddy male kitten needs a home urgently. He has a mild upper respiratory illness, tested positive for calicivirus, and he sneezes. This may or may not go away as his immune system matures. He is very sweet, very beautiful, and already neutered and up to date with vaccinations (will need one more plus rabies in a couple of weeks). He is FREE to a good home!! You will need to get him from Boston, Massachusetts. Email Susan Graham from Aksum Abyssinians for details.

Isn’t he a sweetheart!?

Other People’s Abys – I know Abys are divine but…

…Walking on water?

Ken Harrison, of Myabygem Abyssinians in Yorkshire, shared these photos of Myabygem Takoda (Koda for short) exploring a winter wonderland earlier this month, along with the comment, “Now I’m convinced Abys are special!”

And then, over the weekend, he posted this follow-up:

Along with the caption, “Where’s my hard water going?” He also said, “I had to smile yesterday; before the ice started melting, he sat on the bucket for about 10 minutess just looking around. It made me cringe at the thought of how cold his little bum must have been! It’s a good job he’s been neutered…”

Ken says that his name, Takoda, is Sioux Indian meaning “everybody’s friend,” and he is living up to his name. He certainly seems like a lively boy to have around!

Aby-a-Day – February 16: Life is like a box of catnip chocolates

Thanks to Moderncat, the kitties got a marvelous treat for Valentine’s Day this year: Felted wool catnip candy from Etsy seller Mycrobe!

You saw Jake with the box yesterday; it was tied up in strands of green, purple, pink and red yarn for each of my four Valentines.

Jacoby thought the box was his present. He was having a pretty good time just playing with that; I guess he could smell the catnip right through the cardboard.

Once it was open, it was even better…although Tessie came and stuck her nose in before Jake could.

You can see Jake’s annoyance; I think he is thinking, “What would Sparkle do?”

That’s right, Jake! Take back the catnip!

Jake really liked his minty-green piece.

Angel was intrigued as well.

She seemed to really enjoy her little purple-topped piece.

Tessie wanted all the pieces, but only the red one was hers. I love the little “sampler guide” that came inside the box (they’re all labelled as “catnip”)!

Kylie loved her little pink chocolate…

…So much so that Tessie decided she wanted that one instead of her own, because obviously Kylie’s piece was better!

Kylie was very protective of her Valentine, however, and managed to keep Tessie away from it.

And if you want to have some catnip candy fun, don’t despair! Valentine’s Day may be over, but there’s still Purim, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter to look forward to!

Other People’s Abys – A cat show adventure

Susan Graham, of Aksum Abyssinians shared this story about her Abyssinian, Fenix Basement Jaxx:

I’m in this for the long haul for the Abys and I like showing because I learn things and I meet new friends and I get to know the judges better which I find interesting too, just to know a little more about the process and which ones like which kinds of cats and such. And best of all, I get to see old friends again that I never see any other place. So it was with a light heart that I drove to North Carolina late Friday night with two young cats to show and a kitten to deliver to a little girl (and her parents).

This was a one-day CFA show, 6 rings, so I thought of it as a practice trial run sort of thing, work the kinks out of my prep work, see how things go, what I might have to work on with one or the other of them. The other one is a Somali I am agent for (and temporary home for him) for a friend of mine, the same one that co-owns Jaxx with Jennifer and me.

The first problem is I am so very clueless about grooming longhaired cats. I did my best, I went in the tub with him and thoroughly shampooed him twice and rinsed him thoroughly twice and used a blow dryer to get him fluffy dry. Thinking to myself, I really like the shorthaired Aby coat SO MUCH MORE, it’s wash and wear, it stays where it’s put and blow drying would just mess things up. And why did I say yes to this, and I surely hope I did it right. Then went about packing up to leave the hotel room and get to the show.

The judges were unanimous. I am abysmal* at grooming a longhaired cat!! I tried, and I promised I would do better next time every time I got called out about it, but I still got the comments from the judges about it, and felt like a bad mommy. Poor Shane. But he did get a 2nd Best Longhair Champion, which was quite an accomplishment since there were 32 Longhaired Champions. I am never showing a longhaired cat again after this. I would only have done it for a friend. I told her about it and we laughed at my ineptitude and I was grateful she didn’t hold it against me. It’s why I do things for her, she’s a nice person.

On to Jaxx. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to show him this time around. He’s been growing, and he’s a big cat now at 9 lbs. I like that!! But I thought he might be a tad overweight from the food I had him on, and had changed his food only last week. So I seriously considered pulling him from the show. But I figured I would give him a chance and take it one ring at a time. The first few rings were fine. Jaxx doesn’t hate showing but he takes a while to get into it, to start enjoying it. Another reason for a trial run at a smaller show first before going on to a bigger one.

Then Jaxx got called to a final. For a moment I thought I was hearing things. What? Really? I took so long to clue in that they started threatening to replace the number, so I hurried over there with him and apologized for taking too long. And sat there and watched Jaxx get an 8th Best Specialty Cat finals ribbon. Wow, maybe this would work out after all. If I could get him to all six rings, supposedly he would become a CFA Champion at that point. I’m still figuring out the CFA system, which I find terribly confusing!!

It took a long time to figure out how many points he had toward a Grand Championship, I think it was 14.3 which is still quite confusing if you ask me. 90%, 80%, etc. on down, of the cats you just won against, which you have to figure out from the poor master clerk who is also trying to mark down the finals correctly from all six of the ring clerks. I may not have gotten it right, but we’ll see, I guess.

On to a few more rings, and with the only Abyssinian and only Somali there at this small show, they both got four ribbons in each ring, I think they were Best Ruddy Male, Best Ruddy, Best of Breed, and Best
Champion of Breed, if I got it right. How many points and all is another different calculation which I didn’t even try to figure out. I was already quite confused! If I could get them through six rings, they would be Champions, that was simple enough for me! LOL!

Then toward the late afternoon, Jaxx got called back to Ring 5. Here we must backtrack to a most amazing thing that Jaxx did. He was being judged by this nice lady and he got a wild look in his eye and leapt
over the spectators onto the floor about 8 feet in one jump and took off running for all he was worth toward the open door to the show hall a few yards away. At the same time, the judge took off running after him, and I took off running down the next aisle to do an end run around him and get between him and the door, which other people were hurrying toward also to close it. My friend and vet mentor headed down the aisle too, for a coordinated 3-point team to catch Jaxx as fast as we could. I got around between Jaxx and the door, a feat I don’t think I could have accomplished if it weren’t for the relatively slippery tile floor (as opposed to carpet) that Jaxx had to deal with and my serious adrenaline rush! Jaxx saw me and started back the way he came, in one of those cartoon-like running-backwards sort of turnarounds. Then he saw the judge who was hot on his trail, and did another turnaround, sliding around with an amazing amount of grace the whole time. Meanwhile, people are shouting “CAT OUT!!” and “CLOSE THE DOOR!!” all around us. Jaxx looks at me and the judge and goes off in a completely different direction, this time toward the row of show cages the cats were all in (the ones not in the rings, anyway). Each double row of show benches has the show cages and then there is an aisle between each of them. My vet friend was waiting in the other aisle. We all knew this routine very well from previous encounters with escaped cats. We hadn’t practiced it together before but we knew it so well that each of us took just the right place to head him off.

Most cats, when in Jaxx’s situation, would run under the tables and run around hiding and playing hide and seek til somebody could figure out which table they were under and the owner could catch them. But not Jaxx, oh no!! He leapt OVER the top of the show cages in two huge bounds of muscular athleticism into the other aisle!!

Where my vet friend was waiting for him. He slid to a stop, defeated for the moment. Then he looked up and saw a show cage, which to him usually means he gets to take a well deserved rest from all of that moving around into and out of cages and being messed around with by all those strange people he doesn’t know (the judges). So he jumped inside the show cage. My friend zipped it up immediately afterward and declared, “It’s not his cage, but he’s caught.” Which he definitely was. I had also done another fast turnaround and had come around the other end (I can’t leap over things quite like Jaxx can!!) and ran down the aisle, thanked her, unzipped the cage, grabbed Jaxx and, breathing rather heavily by now, walked back over to the judging ring.

The judge had been watching all of this at close range and at my inquiring look, said “You can put him back in his cage.” Which I did rather gratefully. He gained the nickname of “Houdini” proclaimed by the ring clerk who had also been watching all of this while yelling “CLOSE THE DOOR” into the microphone, but if you ask me it wasn’t so much a trick as a rather extraordinary bout of athleticism and trapeze artistry.

So when he was called back into her ring for a final, I didn’t know what to think. I guessed she thought he was nice, and well, he is nice, several of us had gotten together to find the nicest Russian Aby from someone we could trust and got him over here, so of course we think he’s nice too….But how nice? There were 50 Championship cats at the show, including some very very nice ones that were being campaigned, too. And would Jaxx’s escape trick count for or against him or not matter at all?

So I waited as she kept picking other cats as she made her (confusing still, I must admit!!) way up the ladder from 10th (or something-th?) up to Best Cat and Jaxx still wasn’t chosen. I think my eyebrows went
pretty far up when we got to 5th Best and she still hadn’t chosen him. Wow, in the top four?? And another, then another, then finally only two left. And at that point she picked Jaxx to be Best Shorthair Champion and 2nd Best Allbreed Cat. Wow!!! I was told that Grand Champions make it into the finals and an Open (Novice, first show as an adult) cat didn’t have much of a chance at a final, much less a high number like 2nd Best. I was dumbfounded and silly-happy all at once.

And I had enough wits about me to make a video of Jaxx being shown by the judge, explaining what she liked about him and why she picked him as her Best Shorthair Cat (and by extension, and something she did a
couple of minutes later), her 2nd Best Allbreed Cat. (I still don’t get that part, Jaxx has three ribbons from two rings, it’s very confusing. But I’m not complaining!!!)

I wish I had a video of Jaxx making that amazing escape, but unfortunately I was in the middle of thwarting him!! You’ll just have to imagine that part. And that is why I am so sleepless over here after driving back four hours and not getting much sleep the night before either after driving four hours to get there.

After all the excitement was over the new owners walked in with their daughter, and it was just as sweet as could be introducing the little girl to her new pet Aby kitten. I taught her the “closing your eyes at a cat means I’m your friend” trick and she loved that; they sat there blinking their eyes slowly at each other while I chatted with her parents. It was adorable!!

In case you were wondering…as a matter of fact, yes, Jaxx and Jacoby are, in fact, distantly related.
One of Jaxx’s paternal great-grandmother‘s maternal great-grandfather‘s grandfather, Tinbats Morgan’s Passing, is Jacoby’s maternal great-great grandmother‘s paternal grandfather. Not only that, but Jaxx’s maternal great-grandfather‘s maternal grandfather, El Qahira’s Tamas, is Jake’s paternal grandfather! So, despite Jaxx being born in Russia, and Jake being born in Eastern Canada, you don’t have to go so very far back to find more than one link. That never, ever ceases to amaze me.

And while Susan’s account of every cat show’s nightmare of a “Cat Out” experience…man, does her story make me want to do another show with Jake!

(* Ed. note: Well of course she was ABYsmal at grooming a longhair! If she were good at it, she’d be SOMALIsmal!)

Aby-a-Day – February 15: Wordless Wednesday (Sweets for the sweet)

Aby-a-Day – February 14: This day in Aby history (Cartoon Tuesday)

Five years ago today, the St. Valentine’s Day Paper Towel Massacre took place, and paper towels everywhere were never the same.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Other People’s Abys: The Coffin of The She-Cat of Crown Prince Thutmose (“Thutmose V”)

This was posted by Neseret to one of the Aby lists I subscribe to…I thought it was especially appropriate for Valentine’s Day!

As we talk about our love and deep feelings for our cats, I thought I’d share a small example of the great love the Egyptians had for their cats. This is based upon some of my research.

The Coffin of The She-Cat of Crown Prince Thutmose (“Thutmose V”)

Cairo CG 5003, JE 30172

Crown Prince Thutmose, the eldest son of Amenhotep III, had this coffin duly prepared for his pet cat upon her death. Her name was apparently “TA-miAt”, meaning “The Cat (feminine).”

Prince Thutmose’s sentiment for The She-Cat is evidenced by the series of supplications by various deities to care for the animal in the afterlife, but the initial opening lines of the inscription appear to acknowledge the cat’s justification and eventual deification in the afterlife was a given, just as with human deceased.

As you look at the rendering on the sarcophagus, I was always struck by how much “Aby” pops through the imagery. Ta-Miaut has a light ruff, however, which you see more with male Abys from my experience.

I am so utterly fascinated by this kind of thing. Whether or not Abyssinians really originated in Egypt, Abyssinia or Southeast Asia, it still captivates me.

Other People’s Abys – How appropriate!

I got a lovely surprise in my mailbox today from Abyfriend Donnad: a cute little bookmark calendar made even cuter with a familiar brown face on the cover!

The Aby is actually featured on March, so it’s just in time, too. Thank you!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Jacoby!

Jacoby had a Valentine’s Day Card made on TokiPoki!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Aby-a-Day – February 13: Just call me Jacoby in the morning (Hipstamatic Monday)

I forget sometimes just how cool Hipstamatic can be.

It really takes some marvelous photos sometimes.

Since I forget how cool it is, I also forget to use it. A lot.

And when I remember, I always wonder why I don’t use it more.

An ordinary event, like Jake coming in for morning weekend cuddles, becomes art.

What’s not to love about that?

Some of these are really frame-worthy.

I love this one: extra bonus background Angel!

Aby-a-Day – February 12: Trees and bushes

Another of Angel’s “places” is underneath the television. This is where she goes if she is being bullied by Tessie or if she feels she is losing an Aby battle to Jacoby. I think she feels that this is a defensible place to be, with her back against the wall and a good collection of things to use as cover.

One thing I find really interesting about Angel is, she is what Jackson Galaxy calls a “Tree Dweller” and a “Bush Dweller” at the same time. Jackson says that there are cats who are happier to up high (like Jake) and cats who feel more secure in hidey holes at ground level (like Tessie), but Angel seems to like both heights and low places, depending on her mood. Well, she is our Gemini girl, so I guess she can be a little mercurial if she wants to.

I have to say, though, that Jake looks pretty clueless about how angry Angel is with him for invading her space.