The Peeping Tomcat

We first met Cooper when we saw him peering in the daycare window. He was an instant hit with the daycare kids...they loved watching the "cat show" out the window! At first I thought we were merely a passing fancy for the roamin' guy, but after he starting visiting every day for three solid weeks, and lying in a sunny spot outside the window most of the day, we got the impression that he was considering a more long-term relationship...

Not that we did anything to discourage his visits...I can't bear to see a little kitty braving the elements on his own without anyone to care for his needs. So I started bringing him out some food and water when he'd arrive at the window. He was so friendly and unafraid! He did the same "bump and slide" against my leg as Desi, which I just can't resist! He would practically beg me to pet him, willingly rolling over on the ground so I could have full access to his belly! (I swear there's a sign on me in cat language that reads, "Pushover for Belly Fur!")

Eventually the other cats caught wind of the commotion and would come to visit him at the inside windowsill. Abbey was especially curious. We always joke any time we see a stray, "Here comes our new member of the family," but we quickly dismiss the thought with a nervous titter because - after all - we're not "the crazy cat people on the corner!" (Although we do live on the corner...) We did the same with Cooper until the day he came to the window with injuries. He had a gash on his neck and his ear was bloody. It was time to have "the talk"...If we were at all serious about taking in this little guy, we needed to do it now before he got badly hurt or worse out there in the cold, cruel world...

It was decided that, even though he was a male, (our other three are females) we would open our home to him. I was advised that since he was male and he'd been living on his own he may be difficult to "cage" in order to bring him in where it was safe, and get him to the vet for a checkup and shots. It was suggested that I lure him into the carrier by putting it near the window where he would come. Over the course of several days I was supposed to place his food bowl closer and closer to the carrier until it would actually be inside the carrier. At that point, I would shut the door behind him. Well, here's how the "capture" really went down: On the first day, I carried the carrier out to where he was. He ran right up to me. On a hunch, I placed the bowl inside the carrier, and he walked right in to eat, and I shut the door! Voila! one male cat in a carrier!

Apparently we were really going to do this...I liken the decision to adopt a cat to deciding to have a baby. On one level, it sounds like such a wonderful and exciting undertaking...and they are so cute! Soon, though, you are overcome by the reality of the responsibility and disruption to life as you know it...And yet we still decided to go through with it, of course...

After all, we'd already named him Cooper several weeks earlier! Once he had a name, I think - whether we were ready to admit it or not - he was ours. The origin of his name is alphabetical. One evening in one of our "hypothetical" discussions about adopting him, I mentioned that I thought his name should begin with the letter "C" because we already had Abbey, Beemer and Desi...the letter "C" was not yet represented. It's not much of a rationale, but it would have to do...It didn't take long for Scott to come up with the perfect name...Cooper, short for CooperSmith's Brew Pub in Ft. Collins, Colorado where we spent much of our "getting to know you" time. We visited the old stomping grounds last summer...we wouldn't miss an opportunity to grab a Horsetooth Stout or two!

We had to keep our first and only little boy out of the house before - and a few weeks after - his neutering because of the chance of spraying...nasty stuff, that! He spent several weeks on the porch, then moved into the house to a kennel cage. Once we were sure there was no more chance for spray, we started to let him and the girls get acquainted. Suffice it to say the acclimating process was lengthy and agonizing...for all of us. Oh, the hissing and growling and groaning...not to mention the cat's negative reactions to boot!

It probably took three full months for peace to return to our home. Our girls were firm about establishing their position in the pecking order and they did not back down, even from this feisty little newcomer. Once they were satisfied that their seniority was understood, they accepted him with open paws...well, for the most part. Beemer mainly ignores him, and Abbey mothers him. Desi took on the role of "lion tamer" with him...she would hold him down and bathe him and try to teach him to be a snuggle-buddy. His youthful exuberance usually turns her lessons into wrestling matches, which Desi doesn't appreciate at all!

For years I heard people say that girl cats make better pets because they are more affectionate. Cooper has such a sweet disposition and is so amiable that we felt confident taking a chance on him, and I'm glad we did! He is such a little clown...That's his charm! He has the cutest little "song" instead of a run-of-the-mill "meow." He thinks that changing the sheets on our bed is the bestest game ever!

Sure, it took a while to bring him into the fold, but he contributes such liveliness and spunk (it's a good thing we don't hate spunk!) to our little melting pot that I don't know how we ever got along without him.