Where's Waldo?

WHERE'S
WALDO?

WATCH ME GROW!
Date	Weight
8/8/07	3lb, 7oz
8/29/07	4lb, 7oz
9/13/07	5lb, 5oz

This is a picture of Waldo at rest. This does not happen often, as Waldo is a pistol! Of all Brownie's kittens, he is the only red tiger in the lot. Even when outside, I could tell he had a very independent, feisty soul. He was brave enough to come up on the deck by himself (sometimes), and was often the first to pick a fight with one of his littermates or cousins, even though he is one of the smallest of the group.

Waldo and his sister Odessa were the second and third kittens rescued. You may wonder how he got his name? Since this was our first rescue that needed to be transferred into the play-pen cage, we did not have our technique quite down. 'Little Red' as we had been referring to him squirmed out of my sisters arms (and the towel we had him swaddled in) and bounced all over the dining room. Then he got around me so quickly, that I did not have a chance to turn around to follow his progress. I surmised from the sounds of bouncing and skittering, that he had found the stairway to the basement. Unfortunately, we had failed to close the door and he ran into the depths of the box forest that is my basement. Although we searched all over, we were not able to locate the little fur-ball.

As it was already after 10:00 PM, we transferred Odessa safely into the play-pen, said a quick prayer for 'Little Red's' safety, and went to bed. The next day, I stopped by the SPCA to rent a humane trap. When I got home, I put food in the trap and set it next the the play-pen, thinking he would come up to where the other kittens were. But nothing happened, and once again we turned in, leaving 'Little Red' lost in the basement, alone, one more night. Fortunately that night, he was hungry, lonely, distraught, and/or frightened enough to start to cry aloud......all night! I went downstairs several times and was able to isolate where the cries were coming from. Next morning, after my sister went to work, I called into my office with an emergency day off, to re-rescue the kitten.
I set to work moving boxes away from the pieces of dry-wall, behind which the kitten was hiding. This was a good place, as it was like a tunnel, and I could block one end to prevent escape, and put the humane cage at the other end. I blocked off all exit options except entry into the cage, and started pulling on the boards, like I was coming in. The ruse worked, but the first time, the door of the cage failed to close completely, catching on some of my blocking material and the kitten ran back into his hiding place. The second time worked like a charm, and the little guy was trapped in my little cage, and successfully transferred into the play-pen with his sister and cousin. Hence his name.... where's WALDO! What else could we call him?

You might expect that his traumatic first couple of days in the house would make him very difficult to socialize, and I was concerned about this. But Waldo has adapted very well, probably due to his outgoing, independent nature. Of all Brownie's kittens, Waldo is the most out-going and friendly. He lets me pet him, and purrs, when he is sleepy, but is still a little distrustful if we try to pick him up while he is playing.

Waldo is a climber and jumper and loves to be in high places. Here, he is sitting (almost asleep) on the railing separating our living room from the entry way.

If you visited Pepper's page, you will see a picture of her on the counter. This one was taken a few moments after (or before). We do not have a big problem with kittens climbing all over the counters, but every now and then, someone gets curious.

Waldo is one of those strange cats who loves water. Every time he hears the flush, he has to watch the water go down. He also likes to watch it go down the drains. This picture was the first time he had realized there was water in the sink. (As I was cleaning dishes.)

Waldo (and the others) love to play with anything that makes noise. Here, he is carrying around a small plastic disposable bathroom cup, which was stolen out of my bathroom. (I don't want it back, it will leak from the tooth holes in it.) I was trying to get a frontal picture of him, as it looked like he was wearing a muzzle as he carried it around the house. So far, several cups have bit the dust (or trash can).

This little guy is the cutest bundle of love I have seen for awhile. He loves to be cuddled and butts his head up to be scratched. He often falls asleep in my arms after a cuddle session, and I just can't bear to put him down. In this early September picture, he is just settling down for a light nap. Isn't he adorable?

This isn't the best photo of Waldo, as I did not use my flash, but it is quite characteristic of his personality. He is just a friendly, loving little man.