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My name is Rusty!

Posted over 6 years ago | Updated over 6 years ago

My basic info

Breed
Domestic Shorthair
Color
Orange or Red Tabby
Age
Senior
Sex
Male
Pet ID
Hair Length
short

My details

Checkmark in teal circle Good with kids
Checkmark in teal circle Shots current
Checkmark in teal circle Spayed / Neutered

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

DOB January 31, 2010.

Rusty is a cat with a big personality! He is good company as he is loving, smart, playful, and funny. Rusty is an extremely affectionate cat. He gives love to nearly everyone he meets – from kids to grown ups. He shows his love by rubbing against people’s legs, or wherever he can reach (ie. arms, head, elbow...etc.). He gives super sweet face rubs/head butts, and they are really strong! And he likes to sleep with his people.

Another way Rusty shows his love is to groom; he will groom other cats as well as people, and you’ll be very, very clean when Rusty is done! Most cats find this to be too much, and Rusty is best as king of the castle (your home).

Rusty’s tail was amputated, and now it looks like he “wags” his tail (see video: goo.gl/nRVpua). If you walk by him and he wants to play he will hit your feet to try to engage you. (see video: goo.gl/gzeEHv

Rusty’s favourite toys include string toys and pompoms (see video: goo.gl/yjwqbN). When it’s cold Rusty will always want to sit on your lap... and he has figured out how to sit on a lap even when there is already a laptop there.

Rusty is quite smart - he is the only cat (out of about 15) to escape his foster family’s isolation room (he went through the partially open ceiling), and secondly, Rusty will ask his humans “questions” with a specific meow or grunt when he wants something. He also uses the “regular” cat meow when appropriate (ie. asking for food) and the “death to toys” meow when playing with pompoms.

Rusty is a lot like a dog. He often follows his foster Mom around. And he will eat any plastic/tin foil he finds (ie. small bits of plastic wrappers or corners of milk bags), and he’ll chew on plastic bags. This can be harmful to a cat’s health, so his owners will have to be very careful not to leave things like this out. Rusty will also get into food if it’s left out (ie. his foster family discovered he’d eaten the asparagus on the stove when it came up on the floor hours later), so food needs to go away or be covered.

Rusty would be best with people who have previously owned a cat and for people who want a cat to keep them company. He is normally happy to hang out near his people, sleeping away much of the day. Rusty’s foster family has had 29 foster cats so far, and Rusty is their favourite!

Rusty has struggled with diarrhea, and the cure has been a special raw food diet for his sensitive stomach. The food he is eating is raw bison and most pet stores sell it. He has weepy eye from previous eye infection, but this is easily controlled by putting L-Lysine on his food two times per day (can get at a drug store or natural food store for about $8 per month) and you can also wipe his eyes with a clean cloth dipped in warm camomile tea. Both of these are super-easy!

Rusty is FIV+ but don’t judge him on a blood test – he can live a long, happy and healthy life. He will need a healthy diet, and have his annual vet wellness visits, but no medication is needed. FIV is passed from feline to feline through a deep scratch or aggressive bite and cannot be transferred to other animals or humans. Rusty is currently fostered with non-FIV kittens and previously a non-FIV cat.

Here is Rusty’s complete YouTube playlist — goo.gl/kBtSK8.

Rusty came from a 500 cat rescue that Toronto Cat Rescue lead, rescuing cats from a rural shelter in Quebec, so Rusty “speaks” cat, English and French! If you are looking for companionship from one of the most loving and amusing cats and are willing to take the few precautions listed above, Rusty could be the right cat for you!

Thank you for welcoming a senior cat into your family - an adoption fee of your choice appreciated, vs. our standard adoption fee of $175.

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