I introduced you to Blue, my criminal cat, last week. Now, I’d like to introduce you to my orange tabby cat Fitz, more affectionately known as “Rain Kitty.” This is Fitz, inside a basket. He’ll get into any small enclosure, even if he hangs out over the side. (Nobody can see that flabby overhang anyway, right?)
But Fitz is our “special needs” cat. When he was almost 2 years old, he was poisoned by something outside. We have no idea what it was, but it was horrible. He screamed so loudly, I was sure we were losing him. We took him to a Vet right away. But the pain was so intense that it gave him a stroke. He’s been a little off his norm ever since. Broke my heart, but at least we saved him and he’s having a long, happy life… on his terms.
Fitz is the gentlest male or female cat I’ve ever owned. He’s loving and really attached to my daughter. He lives in her room all day and then, goes out for just a brief interlude at night. He’s almost normal in every way, except that his head tilts just slightly to the side at times, though he’s mostly outgrown that.
But he’s OCD. (He shows habits of obsessive-compulsive disorder.) He’s a complete ritualist, and if his rituals aren’t followed, he gets very upset.
I’m the “treat” goddess. He loves his little kitty treats, and will look at me with expecting eyes whenever I see him during the day. (We only do this once a day because I don’t want him to get too fat or hurt his health.) But when it’s time, I grab a couple of treats, and he runs back to his “box.” It’s just a shoebox, but he calls it “home.” It has big clumps of shed fur in the corners. I tried to take them out once, and he looked at me like I was destroying his kingdom, and wouldn’t be comforted until I put them back. So, pretty gross, but all his and we let him keep it.
To complete the ritual, I have to put the treats in his box, where he eats them, and then I pet him inside the box until he runs back into the corner to go to sleep. We’re talking 2 minutes tops. But we can’t vary from this routine or well… he’s just NOT happy.
Fitz is a little strange, but we love him.