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March 13, 2006
Ricky came to his foster home a friendly and playful guy. He became increasingly depressed and withdrawn. It was obvious that we were trying to push a way of life on Ricky that he had no interest in living. He missed his old life and was very uncomfortable with the presence of dogs and other cats in the same home. As much as we did not think his previous life was safe and appropriate for him, it was the life he had become accustomed to and yearned for. And as it turned out, the people in the office who were feeding Ricky were missing him terribly. It was decided that they would take Ricky back and allow him to live as he had before, but in a better way since he was neutered and had a hernia repaired that could have become a serious problem for him left untreated. Ricky stayed in his foster home until his surgery incision healed and he was then taken back "home".
Ricky's Story:
I belonged to somebody for most of the two years of my life because I sure do love people. But my former people must not have loved me very much because I ended up living all alone in the streets of Newark. I would spend my days walking around, head butting anyone who walked by. I am told this was a very dangerous thing to do because I could have easily been scooped up and signed on as fighting dog bait. Then one day I came across some people going into their office. They started to feed me and then they let me come inside and work with them during the day. I really enjoyed that. When they talked to me, I would wink and meow back. I followed them everywhere. They got a really big kick out of how I would put my front paws over my eyes and roll on my back, so I would do that often for them. But at night when the alarm was turned on, I had to go back outside. My friends were very upset about having to do that, even more so when I would show up the next day with wounds. But I always healed and I always came back. My friends tried desperately to find me a home because I was way too friendly with strangers and they feared for my safety. They couldn't keep me themselves because they all had landlords that wouldn't allow pets. They found a rescue group to take me and sadly turned me over, but they knew it was for the best. They call to check on me because they miss me so much and I miss them, too. I went to the vet and got my shots and everyone was very happy to hear that I did not have feline AIDS or leukemia, which I could have easily gotten during my life on the streets. I'm a healthy guy! I also had a couple of operations. For one, well, let's just say I will no longer be chasing the ladies, and for two, I now have an "innie" instead of an "outie". I had been born with a huge umbilical hernia that needed to be fixed. At the time it was harmless, but it was so big that eventually my insides would have started poking out. So now I am all clean and bathed, warm and dry and safe in a foster home, just waiting for someone to adopt me and take care of me forever. I promise, I will provide you with lots of affection, conversation and entertainment. Because, well, it's just the kind of guy I am.
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