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Rescue for Two

Mr. Mustache, the rescue kitty, rescues the owner too.

By Jae FrankPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Archie aka Mr. Mustache

February 08, 2013

It was nearly Valentine’s day and I was lonely, but I knew that taking on a pet was a responsibility that I just was not yet prepared for. However, the local strays had gotten busy early and produced a litter of kittens that were running wild around my neighborhood. All of them were rather cute and people started rescuing them and their numbers were dwindling. I seriously considered taking one that was a light cream and orange color, but I told myself I did not need a pet because I worked three jobs and I would not be able to care for the little fuzzy creature.

The kittens were getting bigger, and my daughter was determined that I needed one, which I think was really for her desire to have a playmate that did not go home at night like her friends, being an only child, she was often jealous of them and their siblings. I explained that taking care of a pet was a full-time job and that she often at school, playing, or gone for the visiting times with her dad. She was heartbroken. I knew that it would be me taking the brunt of all this responsibility and I told myself I could not do it. But the kittens were so cute!

Six weeks later I caved.

Capturing a wild kitten is not an easy feat, but we managed to do so because the kids had been feeding them ever since they had been born. My daughter picked out the one she liked best and wanted to name it ‘Orange Crush’. I thought that he needed a name that was not a description of what he looked like. I decided on Archie aka Mr. Mustache, but she kept calling him Orange Crush anyways, so he has two nicknames.

We brought him into the house, and he was terrified of being separated from his litter, mother, and being indoors. I knew being in the wild he would want to get back to what was familiar, and it was a challenge to keep him from bolting out whenever the kids opened the door. We had a few close calls. It was not until July that he went missing. I could not find him anywhere and for three days before my birthday I was distraught. I had grown to love this little orange furball and he was gone. Or so I thought.

July 23, 2013

Someone had spotted him, and he was back with the other stray kittens that were doing an exceptionally good job of staying out of sight of humans now. It was difficult and amusing trying to catch the four-legged balls of fur that could fit under things that we humans could not. Every kid that was chasing after him was a terrifying experience for the cats and I knew it would have to be a game of distraction. So while the kids ran in one direction, I went in the other and my little Archie ended up back in my home, safe and dirty.

Archie ended up hiding in an uncovered air duct after I brought him inside, I knew he was there, so I was not too worried, however, he had not come out to eat or drink anything for a few days. He crept out when everything was quiet, I caught sight of this one day and created a plan. I just had to cover the vent when he was out of it and then could not get back in. I did it! He was black from head to toe. His first bath ended with a scar on my wrist and him looking like a drenched rat.

April 2, 2021

It has been several years, Archie is still a skittish cat and will jump at the sound of anything. He will hide if you sneeze too hard. It takes him a long time to warm up to others, but he loves to climb up on the bed with me every night and snuggle against my legs. His favorite thing to do besides watch the birds out of the window is to chase his little red laser and demands it if I happen to forget. He has been living with a dog for the first time lately and is very afraid of the excitement that loud and large creature. When the dog is in his cage, Archie likes to roll his scent against the dog’s toys, which does not seem to bother the dog at all but is rather amusing to watch like he is telling the dog that the toy belongs to Archie now. I laugh often at my rescue cat and I am quite happy that I took him in and enriched my life as well as his own.

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About the Creator

Jae Frank

Over 40, genderfluid Ace, military Veteran, and aspiring writer. Loved the written word since I could hold a pencil, but suffer from imposter syndrome and didn't realize I was good until winning a poetry award in college.

She/They

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