Sonny B Does Not Play Mousey

ME: Look, Sonny! It’s a mouse! Go get the mouse!

SONNY: That is not a mouse.

ME: Get the mousey, Sonny! Go get it.

SONNY: I told you, lady. THAT is NOT a mouse.

ME: Look at the mousey, Sonny! He’s getting away! You better go catch him!

SONNY: Look. It’s clearly not a mouse. It’s made out of cloth and it has a long string coming out of it’s back. Real mice are kind of furry and not attached to strings.

ME: Chase the mousey, Sonny!

SONNY: I will not.

ME: Chase it, Sonny! Go get him!

SONNY: Oh for the- Fine. Clearly they scraped the bottom of the barrel for this foster home. Give me the stupid mousey, lady. Happy? Watch me chase the mousey, lady. Fun? Yes? Bleh. That tastes disgusting. Here. Your turn.

That’s basically how the conversation went when I finally convinced Sonny to play with me. I’d been begging him to play for over a week. He finally relented. For about ten minutes. In an obvious attempt to appease me. He has not played mousey since.

What he has done, though, is purr. Like crazy. Every single time I go out to see him. He runs to greet me as soon he sees me coming. (He also runs to greet the dog, but I feel like he runs a little faster for me.) He also asks for love and pets and then, when he’s had his fill, sits lazily beside me while I read.

He loves food. Like, REALLY loves food. But he’s on a strict diet, which he begrudgingly accepts.

He’s not perfect, but is anyone, really? He has been known to bite. Not vicious biting, but it can startle you if you don’t see it coming. And if you don’t know him, you might not see it coming. After spending just a few weeks with him, though, I’ve learned his subtle signals and have been working with him to redirect his attention when he seems to be in a bitey mood. I think this may be why he hasn’t even made an attempt to bite me in over two weeks.

He also happens to be FIV positive. Not a death sentence, but still something that makes him “less adoptable.”

He’s a sweetheart. I promise. I mean, just watch him...

But he really needs someone that understands cats, is patient with idiosyncrasies, and in a home where he is either an only cat or with other cats that have FIV. (He says he wouldn’t mind having his own dog, though.)

I would give anything to be able to provide him that home. But given that I’ve already reached the four-cat limit imposed by my son when he started college, I cannot accommodate an FIV-positive cat.

He would be perfect lying by the fire in one of those studies filled with books and cozy chairs. In the wintertime. So cuddly.

But really, he just wants someone that appreciates the less adoptable cat. He wants his own person. Someone that will love him and take him as he is.

If you'd like to meet Sonny, call 540-586-6100 or email info@bhsva.org.