Never Underestimate the Mysterious Powers of a Determined Cat

Much like the color of your car, the decision to adopt an animal should never be taken lightly. In a former life, not in a “past lives” sense but in the “many years ago and I was with a different partner” sense, I visited Hawaii for the first time. It was nowhere within the realm of possibility that I might adopt a cat. Sometimes I can be very naive.

Our Arrival

My partner and I booked what was promised to be a cozy bungalow on the beach of Kauai. After cautiously driving some distance along a gravel road, we finally found the address matching the one on the piece of paper in my hand. Surrounding us was a smattering of bungalows placed at odd angles among tropical foliage. The rocky beach spread out before us underlined a stunning view of the ocean. So far, so great! Eager to see inside, we grabbed a few of our belongings, unlocked the door, and were greeted with a slightly shabby but completely adorable tropical cottage.

There were some freshly picked mangos on the kitchen counter, as well as a bag of cat food. Taped to the bag was a note saying that we were welcome to feed the cottage kitties, but if we didn’t want to someone would come by to feed them each day. Pets on vacation! Fun!

A short time later we were in the communal laundry room staring at photos of 8 cats with their names written under each. We learned these were wild kitties, very common on the island where not enough spaying and neutering happened. All were up for adoption. Right, who would adopt a cat from Hawaii and fly it back to the mainland?

I Am Targeted

It didn’t take long before saw little flashes of cats streaking in and out of the bushes, but none ventured close. Upon arriving back from our first trip out to see the sights, we spotted a big brown and black tabby sitting at the end of the driveway as if he’d been waiting for us. After the appropriate amount of oo-ing and ah-ing, my partner got out of the car and I don’t know what she did because I was being sucked in by the cat.

He strolled up to me, looked me in the eye, and fell at my feet exposing his belly. It’s important for you to know that at this point in my life I was decidedly a dog person. Cats were fine and cute, but not where my heart found home. Perhaps sensing my dog personness, this cat had quickly assessed me and strategically carried out the one move sure lower my defenses. What dog person can resist giving an animal, any animal, a belly rub?

I dropped to my knees and began stroking the fur along his stomach. It was rough with sand, quite unlike our three cats at home. (They were cats my partner had when we got together. I had a Rottweiler, a true dog person’s dog.) He wriggled around, allowing me to pet him with no indication that his brain might suddenly short-circuit and he’d latch onto me like chip clip on a bag of Lay’s. I spoke the baby talk that animal lovers often use in such situations and he agreed with everything I said about what a sweet and beautiful boy he was.

I finally got up and headed towards the cottage. He followed me. At that point, I could see that my partner had found another cat whom she was petting, but he ran off as I approached.

“Looks like you found a friend,” said my partner noting my feline shadow.

“He wanted a belly rub,” I said. At that point, I didn’t realize how deeply I’d been hooked.

Courtship

After our first meeting of the cat we believed to be Squeakers, due to his squeaky meow, the rest of the cats soon followed. Every time we went outside or arrived from home from sight-seeing, we’d be greeted by a flock of cats. We happily gave them lots of love and attention, plus the food that had been provided. They seemed to be happy, healthy cats, content to live the outdoor island life, with the exception of Squeakers.

This guy wanted to be wherever I was, be it outdoors or indoors. At first, we didn’t let him in the cottage because we didn’t know if it was allowed, plus we thought he might have fleas. After a while though, he was just too cute to resist. He became our cottage kitty — a constant companion when we weren’t out and about enjoying the island.

Saying Goodbye

After 8 days, our time on the island was drawing to a close. It had been the perfect tropical vacation filled with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Kauai. It was made even more special by the homeless cat who had adopted us for the week. Maybe homeless isn’t the right word. The cottages were his home, the cat pack his family, but he didn’t have a human family and that seemed to be something he really wanted.

The day before we had to leave, we started packing our belongings. It was bittersweet. We were sad to leave paradise but eager to see our furry babies who were waiting for us back home. Once packed, I left my suitcase open so I could easily toss in the last few essentials. It didn’t take long for Squeakers to hop inside and pack himself as if he was an essential item.

I rubbed his belly, whispered sweet nothings to him, and felt my heart break as I tried to say goodbye. Every time I removed him from my suitcase, he hopped right back in as if to make it clear he was going with me. How could I leave him behind?

Love Makes Us Do Crazy Things

It ends up I couldn’t leave Squeakers behind. During our last few frantic hours at the cottage, my partner and I created 57 justifications for adopting him and ignored all the reasons not to. With barely a moment to spare before we had to leave for the airport, I called the property manager, who was also the head of the local Human Society, and told her we wanted to adopt Squeakers. She said she and her husband would arrange veterinary clearance so he could fly and would then put him on a plane to our hometown as quickly as possible.

Less than a week later, we picked up our boy at the airport. Our reunion was a happy one, and though there was an adjustment period while all our animals got acquainted, Squeakers had found his forever home. As for me, I was well on my way to becoming a cat person and a dog person.

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