Our dashing swirl tabby, with dark brown patterns against a medium brown coat, was adopted out from Tabby’s Place in 2008. When we did our standard callbacks after the adoption, at three days, three weeks, and three months, everything was just fine; Geoff was proving a wonderful companion cat. That was no surprise to us, as he’d been so sweet and laid-back here.
What was a surprise was the call we received in spring 2010. A skinny brown tabby, who’d been hit by a car, was found in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. Animal Control, who had picked him up, tried in vain to contact his adopter from the information in his microchip, but the owner had moved and left no forwarding phone or address. Courtesy of that microchip, they were able to trace him back to us. As you’ve guessed by now, that tabby was Geoff.
We were shocked. What on earth had happened? Could he have wandered away from his home? Cats do stray sometimes, but it seems unlikely that he would have gone so far on his own (his adopters lived in New Jersey, many miles from where he was found). Although we have no proof, we strongly suspect that our poor boy was dumped. That’s all the more tragic when you consider that Tabby’s Place has a no-questions-asked return policy. We understand that people’s lives can change. If an adoption isn’t working out for any reason, no matter how long it’s been since you adopted from us, you can return the cat—no ifs, ands, or buts.
As soon as we determined that this was, in fact, a Tabby’s Place feline, two of our staff drove out to Pennsylvania to pick up our little guy, and we rushed him to a specialist immediately. The news was not so good: Geoff had a fractured femur and several broken ribs. But thanks to the wonders of today’s advanced veterinary medicine, we now expect our boy to make a full recovery. He has a metal plate and some screws in the injured leg, but he’s healing so well that he hasn’t even required pain medication since the early days of his recuperation. As I write this (late July, 2010), Geoff is on what we hope (and expect) will be his final few weeks of cage rest.
Our vet has also discovered that Geoff now has a heart murmur. This is HOCM, obstructive cardiomyopathy, which is not that common in cats. While it sounds terrible, it’s usually well-controlled when treated with an inexpensive medication, and so far that’s proven true with Geoff. He will require an ultrasound about twice a year to check on that murmur. In addition, as he ages, he may have some arthritis in his injured leg. However, at roughly four years of age, Geoff is still a young cat.
Of course, Geoff attracts a lot of attention for his stylish good looks (brown tabbies are “in” this year!). Despite what he’s been through, he seems to like almost all people. He’s generally a mellow guy; he’s even fine about taking his medication.
We’re confident that Geoff will find an adopter who can provide him with a loving “forever” home. Until that happens, he’ll live in our lobby, where he’ll be thoroughly spoiled, um, I mean, properly catered to. If you can’t take our engaging tabby home, please consider sponsoring him. Your generosity will help to provide Geoff’s ultrasounds and heart medication, as well as all the love and attention he deserves.