Raven the Cat, Black Cat, Rescued Black Cat

My new friend: a cat named "Raven"

Year 1 > 2008

Year 2 > 2009

Year 3 > 2010

Year 4 > 2011

Year 5 > 2012

Here's the little 'juvinile' black cat I found hiding in my work / storage area, May 2008. I had spotted it hiding back in among the shipping crates at the beginning of the work week. However, the little cat was scared and retreated whenever any of us tried to slowly approach it to catch it. This went on for five days. After the first weekend, I caught the little guy the next work day. It was ascertained he is male, declawed, and neutered. He seemes to be far too young to have been 'clipped and 'cut. But then he is starving and severely dehidrated. He looked to be around six to eight months old? All three 'Vets thought so too.

So... his unofficial birthday is about October.

Since he's a black cat - I'm making it officially "Holloween" 2007.

He seems to be a mixed breed. Although he's black - he has a chocolate tabby undercoat.

When I captured him he was very underweight, and weak.... his sides were a bit sunken in! He was sneezing and had a runny nose for the first few days. He was just a bone-skinny little dehidrated and hungry kitty, and was hiding where he was unable to have food or find water. After I put him on the floor in my apartment, he didn't stop purring for three days. Poor little guy had a cold too.

I made sure he had drank some water several times before I gave him a few spoonfulls of food.

I had to go 'panic buy' cat food and a cat litter box the same day I captured him, during my lunch break. ...as I didn't originally have plans to ever have a cat in my home.

He took right to the litter box as though he had always been using one. He dove into it as I was pouring litter in the litterbox! (outa the way... I gotta go!!)

His first meal at my home, a small portion of cat food canned tuna.

A week after I took him in - I took him to the local animal shelter, and both animal hospitals I know of, to see if he was 'tagged'. (each of the Veteranatians ran a scanner over him and found no electronic ID chip) and I asked if there was a missing black cat notice. (no one had posted a notice yet although he would have been missing two weeks, or possibly longer, by now!) I posted a 'found cat' notice from myself. Looking him over : He's declawed, and neutered, so he was at a Vet's at least once. But around the local Veterenarians and Animal Hospitals here in town there was no knowledge of him. Poor little guy was apparently left to his own devices, even though he was 'front declawed' and terrified of the "big open outdoors"!! (I derived this theory from observing him. I came to the conclusion he was 'dumped' there. Mostly because he does not like big open spaces. He will not venture out past the door area, even if I carry him out a few feet - he runs back in. The houses are all blocks away from where he was. So, behaving as he does, he would not have gone that far if he was simply 'locked out'. He had to have been put down there. When I carry him outside he starts shaking uncontrollably...) There were still no "missing black cat" listings in the local newspaper for several months since he was found either. In October 2008 (his first birthday?) I stopped looking for his previous humans.