One small member of a treasured horde, in August of 2024, Nerf came to Tabby’s Place where he spent a lot of time hidden behind a curtain on a shelf. When people were around, he stayed put, often wedged in with Susan and Hircine. It took a long time for me to earn his trust. It took a somewhat longer time to learn that he drools when he is happy. In technical terms, this drooling is a somewhat ewy trait that Nerf and some of his relatives share, including shy, steady, sweet Cobalt.
Over time, charmed as much by the drooling and Nerf’s falling all over himself…and Susan…and Hircine, it grew very difficult for me to leave at the end of my weekly visits. Knowing that he would be on his shelf much of the time, coming out only when dinner was served and people were gone became unbearable. So, I had my spouse come meet him. A very short time later, Nerf came home with me.
Three and a half months into the adventure, Nerf is and is not the cat whose trust I had to re-earn weekly. For one thing, while at Tabby’s Place, he never once uttered a syllable within my hearing except to purr. Once he had been at home for just a few days, Nerf began to peep occasionally. Other times, he would open his mouth wide with no sound. Now? Nerf hollers and shouts and cries and squeaks and chirps and uses vocalizations that defy description. Some he seems to have learned from our Higgs. Many are of his own invention.
Nerf still drools.
A LOT!
Ew.
But, his confidence, sweetness, and exuberance have exploded into full blossom.
In part, this growth is because Nerf has had 24-hour, unsupervised, full run of the house for several weeks now. He has had lots of time to explore and grow increasingly comfortable. Ollie and Loki are not best pleased, but they are figuring things out with our help along with some useful plug-ins and sprays. The biggest challenge we all have is that Nerf is about 3 years younger than guessed. In a sense, his teeth, which led to his initial age estimate, are older than the rest of him. So, we will enjoy Nerf’s adorably fangy face until we begin to enjoy his adorably toothless face (unless we get unexpectedly lucky).
Meanwhile, Ollie at 15 years old and Loki and Higgs at 11 were not expecting anyone to be their new fourth. This isn’t a card game, so the three were fine (after a time) when the clowder was reduced to a trio from the OG quartet. That the new fourth charges up and down the stairs and around the house like a tiny turbo pony and zooms around the king-sized bed like it’s a racetrack, well, we didn’t bargain on that either. The upside is that Higgs has finally met his match for wrestling and wand toy energy. The downside, if there is one, is that our entire household had grown accustomed to senior cat energy.
But, let’s face it, despite protestations that grow more feeble daily, all the sides are actually upsides. Nerf’s energy is invigorating us all. Plus, by adopting a Tabby’s Place cat, we made room for a new treasure to be rescued from a hopeless situation. The magnificent adoptions team – Carolyn, Kelly, Rey, and Tiff – provided everything we needed to transition Nerf to his forever home with considerations for diet, appetite, litter use, and careful integration. Advice was provided thoughtfully with the comfort of all four of the cats in mind. However, nothing and nobody could prepare me for 26 pounds of cats* piled on my lap in front of my computer while writing these very words.
Earlier today, all four cats were occupying my spouse. The quartet share a mutual appreciation of that very cozy, very large lap. They share food and water bowls with a couple of side dishes too, and that maximizes harmony. Everyone enjoys treat time as peaceably as Loki will allow. She is very loud about treat time. She knows that everyone must be present and accounted for, and she will herd anyone who is missing at roll call. Nerf is learning.
We are all learning. Yet, there are some details about Nerf’s past that we do not know. What we do know is that Tabby’s Place rescued him from a very difficult situation. Volunteers – myself included – and staff helped him to trust people and take steps towards growing healthier and happier. The adoptions team made a potentially difficult integration (mostly for the 3 older cats) go more smoothly and more quickly than we ever dared to hope. Here at home, Nerf’s raggedy grey coat has filled in and become softer and more lush. His belly has too (we’re keeping tabs on that). As for me trying to type with 26lbs of cats on my lap, these are the kind of riches a person can get used to.
*Higgs and Nerf both weigh in at about 13lbs despite having very different body types.
Nerf and Higgs were playing in the bottom photo.
Loki and Ollie were happy to remain bystanders.
We are very happy that this foursome is in their forever home with us. Our laps can handle the weight.