Butterball and Baby Turnip (bonded pair) Domestic Short Hair Minneapolis, MN

****Potential adopters can find more videos, photos, and history about Butterball and Baby Turnip by searching and/or following the hashtag #butterballandturnip on Instagram***

Butterball and Baby Turnip are an approx. 2-year-old, goofy bonded pair looking for their forever home together! Butterball is about an 11-12-lb. tabby, while Turnip is a tiny white cat with a tabby tail.

They're strongly bonded with each other and come from a large colony of street cats, so there's a good chance they'll get along with other cats, if the introduction process is appropriately and gently implemented. They've never been around dogs indoors, or small children, but I will be introducing them to the elementary school and high school kids in my family.

Butterball is a sweet, silly, lump of pure love. He's extremely gentle but is becoming more and more playful every day (so he could use a manicure)! It's not uncommon for him to gently pat my hand when he wants two-handed pets (or attention in general). He is constantly sprawling on top of toys while we're playing, and he's a solid boy!

They're both very food-motivated and generally cheerful, spunky, and confident kitties when they're in their element, but will be very reserved upon first introduction.

Baby Turnip is tiny but feisty! He was most likely the only surviving kitten in his litter, so he was always surrounded by older and much larger kittens/cats, so he's scrappy. He's probably about 2 months younger than Butterball but they're undoubtedly related.

He is absolutely ridiculous. He's much more reserved in certain ways (I had to wait for him to follow Butterball's lead when it came to socialization) but also braver in others. He's extremely playful and his favorite thing to do is sneak into the storage crate I keep certain toys/treats locked away in when I'm not there, dig out their catnip shrimp toy, and go completely bonkers. He adores feather and wand toys and will snatch them, then run to his favorite spot under the cat tree to bunny kick them.

The first night I took this sweet pair in from the street, they were so scared they tried to jump out the window, having never encountered glass before! By two days in, they had discovered the joys of central heat, their space heater, fuzzy cat beds, and wet food they didn't have to share with 20 other cats; ever since, they have shown NO desire to go back out to the colony.

I have NEVER heard Butterball hiss or witnessed him purposely scratch a human. Baby Turnip has a bit of a tighter boundary and is more likely to hiss when he's scared. He scratched me exactly once, and only to demonstrate his displeasure after I temporarily separated the two of them and then reunited them (yes, they are quite bonded!). When that happens (such as because of separate vet visits), Baby Turnip will drown Butterball in love and grooming upon reunion and Butterball is happy to soak up the affection.

They love playing with wand toys, the Cat Dancer, getting hopped up on catnip they've stolen when I'm not looking, receiving scratches, occasional intense grooming sessions on each other, and going on treat scavenger hunts (which I implemented first to get them comfortable exploring the space, and then to work on carrier-training—it’s a game that I highly recommend continuing with). They adore their tall cat condo and snoozing in their sunny window. They also enjoy the zoomies after dark from time to time.

I feed them three times a day (currently just inexpensive wet food that's their favorite from their feral days, with water added to ensure hydration) just to keep things consistent and avoid tummy upset, but they're not picky when it comes to food. I scoop their boxes every morning as they eat breakfast and talk to them, then fill a humidifier for them as well. I change their litter boxes weekly.

I normally feed them between 8:30-9:30 am, around 2-3 pm, and then again around 8-9 pm depending on my work schedule—but I'm sure they could settle into different routines (and I'm gradually working towards feeding them their second meal later to make it easier to transition for folks who work 9-5).

After their midday meal, I like to hang out in the room with them for playtime, snuggles, and carrier-training. We like to listen to music, podcasts, or practice Spanish on my phone to get them more and more comfortable with human sounds and voices (and they're absolutely used to that by now, though they're fascinated when I play back my own voice and like to gently bap my phone in curiosity).

They're energetic kitties, but Butterball also likes to lazily snuggle-play after lunch a bit as well. He could use more exercise, but I don't think it will be a problem once they have access to more space. They do play with each other as well, which is an absolute blessing, and they could easily be cats that sleep in a room by themselves at night if necessary for their humans' sanity (vs. in bed with their humans, though they would probably be into either scenario).

After I feed them around 8pm, it's lights out with a nightlight on, and they spend their midnight hours settled in or playing with each other fairly quietly.

They absolutely need to be played with vigorously every day, but they do remarkably well, considering I'm not actually in the room with them all that much out of necessity.

They were both born on the street and lived outside until Nov. 2023. I initially trapped them for neutering about a year and a half ago and they were released back to their colony, were fed by myself and my neighbor, and provided with heater cathouses. When I noticed they were no longer behaving like feral cats, I started working on socialization with them outdoors, treated them for fleas, then eventually trapped them & took them into my home (a small house in which I live by myself with my two permanent cats and occasional litters of feral kittens in the guest bathroom).

Since then, they have lived exclusively in my basement storage room that I converted into a foster room. It is MUCH bigger and roomier than a shelter would be, but much smaller than the average apartment (& with almost NO non-cat furniture). As such, they are still getting used to "indoor cat" things like vacuum cleaners and human beings that are not me.

I do regular, ongoing carrier-training and socialization work with them and they're making amazing progress. They love their window, cat tower, cardboard cat houses and fuzzy blankets!

They're very content in their little foster room, so I don't think they need a huge house, but they did spend the first year and a half or so of their lives outdoors, so windows and sunshine are a huge bonus. I think they would be happiest living with adults (or kids old enough to respect their boundaries and not pull their tails, for instance, since they currently let me play with their tails without any fear).

I don't know how they would do with dogs since the dogs they encountered living outside were most likely threatening towards them, but they may do just fine with other cats, considering they come from a large colony and lived generally harmoniously with the others.

They will need a family that is patient with them, who ideally can provide a separate room initially for them to decompress upon adoption, and a gentle approach while they build trust. They have not been around much "normal house" stuff since they are being kept separated from my permanent cats to minimize stress, so cat-proofing at first will be important, as well as using humane, compassionate, and effective techniques for deterring undesirable behavior. (I highly recommend Jackson Galaxy's guides for introducing new animals to existing pets, and teaching cats to stay off counters, etc.--please don't spray these boys with water!!)

They appear to be generally healthy, happy, and currently very confident and relaxed in their little indoor world, and they don't chew cords—but they've never roamed free in a kitchen or been on a human's bed before, so keep these new experiences in mind! They're going to LOVE it but will need to learn a bit in the process, so a human teacher with some previous experience (or willingness to learn via the sources I mentioned) will be important.

These two have been through a lot in the tough outdoor life. With the right patient, loving family, they will bring so much energy, affection, and fun. If you’re ready to add double the joy to your home, please consider adding Butterball and Baby Turnip to your family.

There is no guarantee of age and breed as a rescue animal's history is unknown. All ages and breeds are best estimate. Adoption fees include a mandatory sales tax of 7.525%. All cats have received comprehensive veterinary care and tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV unless otherwise stated.

Cats are up to date on age-appropriate vaccinations and have been spayed/neutered, treated for fleas and/or ear mites, de-wormed, and microchipped. Please note there may be additional follow up visits and boosters that are not covered by Pet Haven after adoption. Interested in adopting or learning more about this cat? Please fill out Pet Haven's adoption application: http://bit.ly/2fd9U2F