Trooder

By special request, today is Trooder day. This is his very first Gotcha Day, so be sure to drop by and wish him joy. Trooder is four years old. He was found in a feral colony by a very nice couple who were surprised by how friendly he was. They took him to Grayson County Humane Society. He was quite a mess. His fur was terribly matted and he had diarrhea and ticks. They cleaned him up and discovered that he walked funny because his left front ankle had been broken and didn't heal properly. He was a big hit with everyone, but no one adopted him and his time was running out. A group called N.O.A.H. took him in and put him up for adoption. His forever Mom found him at the store where she always shopped for food for Jake and the cats. He was huddled in the back of the cage, but came forward and meowed when he saw her. The lady who was handling the adoptions took him out of the cage and handed him to his soon-to-be Mom. She was very hesitant, but when they went to the quiet room and Trooder sat next to her and purred, then put his paw on her hand, she just knew that this was the new kitty for her. She took him home that very day. It turns out that Trooder has arthritis and his limp will never completely go away, but it is much better now that he is getting treatment for it. The shelter and NOAH called him Nowhere Man, but the Mom decided that he needed a new name. She tried Big Guy, but he didn't respond. The Dad called him Thumper because of the noise he made walking across the kitchen floor and he sort of responded to that. He was also called the Introoder, because that is how Molly, Shadow and Jake saw him. This got shortened to Trooder and suddenly, he was responding to that name. Shadow was the first one to make friends with Trooder. Molly was slower to come to accept him, but they get along fairly well now. Trooder still hisses at Jake sometimes and guards the human litterbox room from him. This is to prevent Jake from eating out of the litter box and that makes the Mom very happy. Trooder was so happy that he had a new home that he started to gain weight. He needed to gain some weight, as he was pretty skinny. However, he now has a jiggly belly and may have to go on a diet. This brings us to Trooder's first limerick:

                                                 Trooder may have to go on a diet,
                                                 But shhhh, the Mom is keeping it quiet.
                                                         Trooder loves his eats
                                                         And he loves his treats.
                                                It will be hard keeping him on a diet.

Because today is the first anniversary of Trooder's Gotcha Day and
because his Mom may not let him see the first limerick, here is a
special Gotcha Day limerick for him:

                                               We celebrate Trooder's Gotcha Day.
                                               Everycat come and shout, "Hooray!"
                                                         Kitties far and near
                                                         Raise a mighty cheer
                                               And toast Trooder's first Gotcha Day!