Of Litter Boxes and Best Laid Plans: Charlie’s Story (#Blaugust 2023 #6)

*Charlie Chaplin – A black and white DSH kitty with the hint of a mustache stops in the middle of playing with a bacon cat toy. He stares, curious, at the camera.*

Taking a break from gaming content to share with you how we wound up with our accidental foster cat, Charlie Chaplin (named by shelter staff). Mostly because the story amuses me, but also because a surprising (maybe unsurprising) number of folks I’m meeting through Blaugust are rather interested in the cats. 🙂

To set the scene, for those who don’t already know, I work at my local animal shelter. I actually have a post half prepped about what I do all day, but the key point here is just that I work there.

Charlie came to my shelter through Animal Control. He’d been picked up as an injured stray cat, and spent some time at a local emergency vet being treated for an abscess on his leg. When he was stabilized, he came to my shelter.

This is where the first amusing bit happens. See, my department does process Citizen Stray intakes – but Animal Control intakes come in through the back of the building. I saw Charlie only briefly, and only because I overheard the vet techs talking about his mustache.

*Charlie, walking forwards trying to get into my lap as I try to take a picture of him. He is intent on his goal.*

I walked into the small cat clinic when I overheard the comments, saw Charlie, and chatted about our community cats at home. Among them, we had a couple black and white kitties we hadn’t been able to come near or trap for TNR/TVAR (Trap Neuter Return/Trap Vaccinate Alter Return) yet. I specifically mentioned one of “ours” also had a mustache, and then I got busy again and thought nothing more of it. Funny coincidence, but there’s lots of stray cats here.

I continued to think nothing more of it the next few weeks while he lived in one of the cat rooms my department cares for. I did notice he was a cute little thing, but he absolutely refused to use his litter box – which was a shame. You can’t really adopt out a cat who doesn’t use their litter box unless it’s a barn cat situation. Most folks, understandably, aren’t willing or able to take a risk that the behavior won’t clear up out of the shelter.

Charlie was about to get pulled to go to our partner cat cafe, when I mentioned to my boss that we had a note on his cage about the litter box issue. She pulled him from the cat cafe lineup (Sorry Charlie!) and we gave him some more time to see if he’d stop pooping all over his bed.

*Charlie, in the middle of playing with his bacon toy.*

Flash forward a bit, and my boss texts me asking if we want another cat.

“More info please? Lol.”

She asks me if I would be willing to bring Charlie home and set him up with our TNR community cats since adoption isn’t looking like an option. I say of course, no problem. And then she adds, “Since he came from your area.”

He what?

Oh.

OH.

We uh. We hadn’t seen that mustache kitty in a while, come to think of it. The other black and white cat was still showing up on the Porch Cam but not his twin.

Now, this would have been hilarious to me all on its own. I spent weeks unknowingly caring for one of the very cats we’d been concerned about trying to trap, and never once thought to check and see where this one had come from.

But it gets better.

A short video I released on my Youtube channel, showing Charlie right before I brought him home. He is in his kennel, looking ready to go. His kennel has a puppy pee pad instead of a blanket and bed because, as I mentioned, he kept doing his business all over his bed/blankets.

I bring Charlie home, and release him on our porch thinking it should go fine since he was apparently already a regular.

Except now, Calvin (another regular) decides he cannot deal with Charlie, and will not stand for this cat being on His Porch. Poor Charlie is terrified, so we ground the other cats from the porch for the night and let Charlie have some time alone to settle down. We don’t want him to bolt on release, we want him to know there’s still food, water, and shelter here.

Charlie starts being a lovebug and getting up in my lap when I go outside to check on him. Contrary to popular belief, this does not always mean a cat can’t be a community cat. Most of our regulars are pretty happy to get attention – on their terms. They get upset if brought inside against their will, and depending on their mood sometimes bolt even from us.

So I’m assuming we’re just going to have to work with Charlie and Calvin. Nash asks me if I can get some cat attract litter from work to see if we can maybe tempt him to use a litter box, especially if he’s going to live on the porch for a bit.

I get to work the next day, and no sooner had I put together a small baggie of the litter, then I get a text from Nash. Actually a text and also a Twitter message. All caps.

“HE’S USING THE LITTERBOX!!!”

Lumi, our calico cat, stands over Charlie with her nose between his ears. She seems to be deciding if she’s annoyed or intrigued. They are both in front of my gerbil cage, bonding over their shared interest in rodents. (My gerbils have no fear of them. You can’t see them in this pic, but they are fine about the cats being there.)

A few hurried conversations later and we’ve decided to put Charlie in the guest bathroom at least for the day. The other TNR cats are upset at not being allowed on the porch, and if he’s using a litter box he can hang out in the bathroom while we decide what to do with him.

Charlie then starts crying after being left alone in the bathroom for too long. This is not the, “I’m crying because I can’t stand being inside against my will, you need to let me out,” sort of crying. This is very kittenish, “Why am I all alone? I need attention!” crying.

I mean, who’s going to leave a crying cat in their guest bathroom indefinitely?

Long story somewhat shorter, we began the process of introducing Charlie to the other two indoor cats, Grady and Lumi. It actually went pretty well as cat introductions go, and they’re all getting along fairly well at this point. The plan is still supposed to be rehoming him – we love him, but weren’t planning on a third cat when one of ours already has health problems. On the other hand, working at the shelter I see firsthand the ridiculous number of homeless cats there are in my area, and I’m very familiar with how hard it can be to rehome even the nicest pet.

Video: Charlie lying on his back in my arms during a livestream. He is dozing with his feet in the air. I forgot to unmute myself for a couple minutes, oops!

So we’re in a holding pattern at the moment. I’m fine with things however they go, to be honest. I agree that we didn’t plan for a third cat, this is not the best time for one, and another side effect of #animalshelterlife is I’m just as happy to help an animal find a home as to give one a home myself. And I mean, our next planned pet was going to be another dog!

On the other hand I freely admit I grew up in a home where if a cat followed you home and no one claimed it, congrats on your new cat! We got about half our family cats from shelters and the other half from cats who just showed up and decided not to leave.

Whatever happens, Charlie is a sweet thing if also a bit of a disaster-cat. (He still has Big Kitten Energy, lol.) I’m glad we’re in a place to take care of him at the moment, and we don’t have to just release him and hope for the best. I am hugely in favor of humanely run TNR programs and of letting community cats stay where they are happiest…but Charlie has definitely decided the inside life is for him.

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