Poor Leroy has been ignored on Mammal Mondays lately, since I’ve been largely focusing on our roster of fosters. I’m going to rectify the lack of feline influence on this blog today.

I found this photo accidentally on my computer. It’s a baby photo of Leroy during his first week with me as his momma.

For those who are unaware, Leroy was a farm cat, the progeny of my momma’s cat, Dusty. She was fixed after this litter–Dusty, not my mother–so Leroy is the last of the Dusty kittens. Originally, there were five kittens in the litter, but the babies started disappearing mysteriously one at a time once they were mobile; it sometimes goes that way for outdoor cats in rural areas. Foxes, coyotes, or owls were the most likely culprits, given the typical wildlife around my folks’ place. After seeing a photo of the kittens, I got an ache in my big soft heart and drove out to the homestead to scoop one up and take him home.

So, Leroy won the cat lottery. His entire life has been one of  indoor luxury and kibble rather than straw beds and mousing. Because he was so young (five weeks at most) when I took him home, he bonded to me deeply and seems to truly believe he is a person. I suppose his early and significant attachment to me is what drives him to seek my lap at all times, even when I’m typing a blog post, or marking papers, or trying to smooch my husband. I try to remember that he sees me as his momma because I had to take him too young from his cat mother, and cut the guy some slack.

I’m not sure I’d classify Leroy as a rescue kitty, although I did take him home to keep him from probable death as a meal for something bigger. What I will say for certain is how much we love his big purr and his bigger heart. He is one of those once-in-a-lifetime cats, and I’m grateful he’s mine.

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