Ornery with a capital O - Oliver

He's my all boy kitty - full of mischief.  The epitome of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' - but I wouldn't have it any other way. Oliver was a stray who wandered up on our porch.  We were experiencing extremely, dangerously cold weather for our area so I managed to talk my husband into letting him come in overnight for a couple of nights.  Oliver loved the dog and the two of them were fast friends.  Then came the quest to officially make him a part of our family.  Hubby made me jump through hoops - call local vets, put up flyers, run an ad in the paper.  Nada - no responses - Oliver was officially an orphan.  So - of course we kept him.  When I took him in to the vet she estimated his age and that he had been outside on his own for at least a couple of years due to his paw condition and his weight.  He came to have the name Oliver because we had an A (Aggie), E (Emma), I (Isabel), and we decided we needed an O or a U. Umberto just didn't fit him so Oliver it is.....  :)

So in to the family it is.  3 older girl kitties not all that happy about it. 1 dog excited about it.  There were some interesting transition things to go through with him.  First - we had a terrible time getting him to understand there would always be food - and getting him to stay out of the garbage (which had most likely been his food source for a good bit of time) was difficult.  Oliver is really one of the most affectionate cats I have ever encountered.  He loves everyone and demands attention from us and any visitors.  He loves to cause trouble with his siblings - chasing, pestering, teasing and generally frustrating the girls.  He is bestest buds with Clooney the ferret - the two of them have endless sessions of rough and tumble play.  He is also very kind and patient with the hedgehog - trying to engage him in play and understanding somehow he has to go slow so Nigel won't be scared.  He has a true love affair with Phoebe - the two of them are inseparable.  Oliver is also very close with Emma - the two of them frequently perform grooming tasks on each other - Oliver cleaning Emma's eyes, ears and paws and Emma "massaging" the cat with her front teeth.  Oliver absolutely loves this.  We call it corn cob rubbies as it looks like Emma is eating an ear of corn.

Oliver came to us as a stray (which equals scavenger) and therefore loves people food.  There are some definite favorites - peas - I know - it doesn't seem like cats should like peas, pudding and ice cream - loves it.  I think his favorite is egg nog though.  Since its only a holiday thing sometimes we indulge him.  If you aren't careful he will get in your lap and proceed to dip his paw in your glass regardless of whether you intended to share or not.  He wants loves - all the time.  And - he wants to be on you while pets occur - it is a requirement.

While occasionally naughty Oliver keeps our household young and fun.  He is such a wonderfully affectionate cat and I am happy every day that he showed up on my porch all those years ago.  He is incredibly smart, agile and has such a swagger - he was a high school jock in his last life - cocky and getting all the girls.  He is patient and kind - takes the chin bites from the ferret and the full on face washing from the dog in stride.  In fact - he is polite enough to wait for Emma to leave before he washes the dog slobbers off his face with a vengeance.  He makes me laugh out loud more than once every day.  Kisses to my boy kitty.....

The Zookeeper