JUMPING JACK Domestic Short Hair & Tabby Mix Grand Rapids, MI

I like to get as much backstory as is possible on our kitties, so if I have a rescuer that has developed a relationship and has a history with their furry friend, it gives me a bit of insight that can be helpful in not only writing the bio, but getting to know a bit more about our new resident. Volunteer Sandi D., in caring for 7 feral colonies all over Grand Rapids, would often see this handsome boy high-tailing it down Sheldon SE, crossing the street and zipping across the church parking lot in the summer of 2014. Right before Halloween she set up a live trap and caught him within 3 minutes, taking him to CSNIP to be neutered and releasing him back in to the neighborhood. Her friend Ora was also taking care of the cats in the area, so Sandi knew he would be well-looked after. A few weeks later he approached her, allowing Sandi to reach down and pet him, which was a first. Deciding he REALLY liked it, he became her new BFF and she decided it was time to try and get him into a carrier, something he expressed great disdain for:) However, as winter wore on and the temps dropped below freezing, she was bound and determined to bring him in for good; one fine day in January, she just reached out and scruffed, him, gently dropping into her upended cat carrier and shutting the door. No wrestling match ensued as it had before, and when it was time to bring him out to the clinic a few days later for his appointment, our her beautiful boy had figured out that traveling wasn’t so bad, as he kept ending up in warm and cozy, comfy places.

Well, let me tell you, when he arrived at the clinic, all was well until we went to retrieve him from his cage—then all hell broke loose, releasing one very excited, boomeranging cat who literally bounced off the walls in a frenzied flash. After somehow wedging himself between the wall and the cage banks, stuffing himself into a space about 3 inches in diameter, we had to take apart the room, pull the cages out and lasso him. Once contained, he simmered on down and we all had a quite a laugh about this experience, dubbing our feisty five year old (born in early 2010) Jumping Jack. I set to work tending to a nasty bite wound on his neck that had ruptured and eaten away a sizeable chunk of skin. I also had to remove many of his rotting teeth and treat very chronically infected ears, bathing years of grime and grunge off of his very masculine, well-muscled body. After a few days of feasting and settling in at the clinic, Jumping Jack was ready to head on down to our sanctuary, as he had tested positive for not only FIV but Feleuk as well. Thank goodness he would no longer be prowling the SE side of the city, squabbling and sparring with other stray cats, spreading the very viruses he caught on the mean streets himself.

I asked one of our Cat Care team members to give me a summary of how Jack was adjusting to the sweet life at Big Sid’s, and here is what she had to say: “He is definitely not jumpy anymore, but just sweetness in a fur package. If you start petting him he stretches waaaaaaaaaaay out so you can get every inch of him! He would make an AWESOME best friend for someone. He is still a little shy, but seems to get along with the other cats fine and certainly loves the attention from the volunteers.” One look at his face and you can surely see how content he is now, enjoying his good fortune and the second chance afforded to him by a spunky little redhead who never turns a blind eye, never gives up and always puts the needs of her furry friends in front of her own. Sandi, Jumping Jack and I think you are just the best, and because of you, he is loving his spoiled life with us!