Purrcival: The Unlikely Supurrhero

All my animals are rescues. From the turtle rescues that I have to my three dogs, my parrot, and the others that came well before them. All of them found their way to me and needed me. What I did not know was the one that I needed would find me.

It was the coldest night of the year at 11 degrees and with a wind chill at well below zero. I was leaving work at 11:30 pm with a group of nurses and other medical staff from the emergency room where I work. We were talking about the cold when out of nowhere the most amazing creature walked into my life.

He was stray and many of the nurses knew him, in fact, several had brought him food from time to time. I had never seen him. He walked through the crowd of people walking with me and came directly to me. Making circles around my legs and tripping me up, he made it clear that it was my attention he wanted. The other's joked that I made a friend and left me in the parking lot to disentangle myself from this new relationship. I knew I was in trouble because I had already made eye contact, which for me is as serious as a vow when it comes to animals.

He followed me to my car, and I knew I had food in there from my lunch that I did not finish from earlier that night. Unfortunately, I am not a meat eater and only had wedge fries from a local convenience mart. I presented it with a huge apology to the furball at my feet and to my astonishment he ate the entire thing. I knew I had nothing else to feed him, but I also knew that I would not be leaving him there that night. With nothing left but a small piece of a potato, I used it to trick the creature into my car. After I got him in, I started to panic. What now? At first, I thought I would warm him up and send him back into his world. Then when I heard his purr, I knew I could not do such a thing.

Calling my husband this late at night was never fun. He hates to be awakened for anything and this was no exception. He berated me for thinking I could have a cat, telling me that I wasn’t ready for another one and then for hijacking his night to help with the ordeal. After his vocal reluctance, he caved and agreed to have the large dog crate we had ready in a mini-hotel room for the cat along with a litter box, bed, and food, and water. He agreed I could keep him long enough to go to the vet and find a new home. It was more than I thought would happen and I was happy and intended to do just that.

Then I looked at this cat perched on the top of my back seat and wondered how I was going to get him home. I had visions of being clawed to death on my way home but decided I would risk it. I was not far off. As soon as I merged onto the highway, the cat began growling and hissing like nothing I had ever heard before. I kept talking to him and trying to assure him it was for the best. I promised him he would be warm and have good food. Nothing worked, he was incensed. I even gave him a name, Purrcival which I thought was clever and fitting. I hoped he was a boy cat because otherwise, it would not be so fitting. When I finally pulled into my driveway, I immediately wondered how I was going to get the cat from my car into my house without getting clawed to death. I had the brilliant idea to use the jacket that I wore over my scrubs to contain him long enough to get him into the house. I wrapped him carefully, ignoring his growls and hisses, and started to the door. I almost made it, but one thing I did not think of was Hannah.

Hannah is my rescue parrot. She is the protector of the realm and better than any house alarm. If anyone is on our property, she alerts the entire house. Tonight, was no different, but the alert she let out was louder than anything she had ever done before and I soon realized why. I was bringing her natural mortal enemy for a visit. How she knew, I am not sure, but she had to. She scared the cat so bad, he lost it and fought back. I dropped him and off into the night he ran. I was devastated. I went looking for him and calling him for hours to no avail. I decided to put a box on my porch and added a blanket and a bed. I hoped he would find it. I put out tuna every few hours until it froze. The next morning it was apparent he was not coming back. I felt horrible for kidnapping this guy from an environment he knew and bringing him to one he clearly did not know. I was worried but had to return to the scene of the crime for another grueling day of work.

The entire day was spent in moments of worry and silent prayer for his safety. It was a long twelve-and-a-half-hour shift and an even longer thirty-minute drive home. I said a prayer that he would come back. I pulled into my driveway and when I got out of my car, I pretentiously began calling him by the name I had given him only the night before. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He was coming for me like he had the night before. With determination. I picked him up without worrying if I would be clawed to death and took him into the house and put him in the crate my husband had furnished the night before. He immediately made himself at home, drank a lot of water, and went to sleep. He slept for two days until I woke him up for his vet appointment.

At the vet, I learned he was indeed a boy who was neutered and had several burns. The most heartbreaking finding was that his tail was intentionally broken in several places. He had been abused. I cried. He is a sweet boy, and I could not imagine why anyone would do this to him. He did not have a chip, so finding his home was unlikely. I was sure I did not want to find them. He was going to a good home and I would do everything I could to make that happen.

Back at home, Purrcival was kept in the large dog crate to allow his burns to heal and keep him from my rambunctious Jack Russell Terriers. All three of them. He slept like a baby and in a couple of days, my husband sent me a text. It was a video showing Purrcival playing rough with the most rambunctious of my three terriers, Millie. They were instant best friends. My husband made another declaration: Purrcival was staying, and he had a new nickname: Baby Cat.

I was instantly relieved and felt immensely guilty. Only three months earlier, on the very day I started my job at the hospital, my best friend and sidekick of 23 years, Thor Lips died. I felt like I lost a part of my soul. He was a kitten born to my brother’s cats. I was not looking for a cat then, either, but Thor’s mother kept putting little Thor under my hair when I slept. He was my constant companion before my husband and my child and then after. I never thought I would be ready for another cat after his loss. Purrcival decided that was not the case. I opened my heart and this wonderful creature filled it and made his place in our home. He quickly became family as if he has always been here. He has his favorite seat and loves to play rough with Millie until they tire of each other. He even recruited my husband into this roughhousing unit, and they are now the roughhousing trio. Back at work, the nurses who fed him were upset that they no longer saw him, and I was upset at them for not finding him a home sooner. They do always ask about him and I am known for being the person with a huge soft spot for animals.

Purrcival came to my life at exactly the perfect time and I into his. It is debatable who saved who, but I can tell you that I am forever grateful and no longer believe in coincidences or accidental discoveries. He fits into my home like a puzzle piece and there is no way that he was not directed to me by some energy in the universe. To whatever I owe this debt of gratitude, I am forever grateful because it is clear. He was ready to help me heal, and I had no idea I was ready to receive his gift.