Snuzzles and Doc Reiss : Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail

“I have had several pets in my adult life, and each time the animal has chosen me,” Doc says. “And so it was at the Furry Friends shelter when I entered one of the larger rooms on a Saturday morning several months ago. I sat down and was soon approached by various feline residents: some were curious and wanted a sniff, others wanted a pet, and one wanted in my lap.

“From the information sheets, complete with cat names, photos and descriptions of their personalities, I learned that the one in my lap with the big purr was called Crunch Wrap. (It was probably a blessing that he didn’t understand “human”). The following week I returned to that room, sat down, and within minutes, the same large, orange tabby came over and landed in my lap with purring and affection. He wanted his chin scratched … then behind his ears … and he didn’t want to leave his position when I got up. He was telling me that I had been chosen! One more follow-up visit confirmed it.

“They say that when cats go to a new environment, they exhibit changes in three days, three weeks and three months. When Crunch Wrap was at the shelter he was quiet except for his purr. Three days after being in my house, he started ‘talking,’ gradually increasing in sounds and in volume. When I listen to my very vocal feline roommate, I hear sounds that could pass for ‘sure,’ ‘when,’ ‘now’ and ‘fine.’

“Arriving home and asking, ‘how are you?’ is met with ‘sure’ as he passes by me with feigned indifference. When he rouses me from bed at 6 a.m. and the food bowl (recently checked) is still empty, I hear ‘when?’ Later on, when he wanders to the food bowl, looks at me and asks ‘now?’ only to be reminded that he’s already eaten, I eventually hear a disgruntled and resigned ‘fine’ as he walks away with a tail flick. When Crunch Wrap became Snuzzles, he not only seemed indifferent to the name change, he didn’t and still doesn’t respond well to either. But open the cabinet door where the cat food bag is located and I have his immediate and rapt attention.

“At three weeks, it became apparent that Snuzzles was quite self-contained, wanting and needing little to be content. I bought him furniture with a cave area. He prefers being under the futon on a folded towel. I bought a large jar of catnip: absolutely no interest. I bought several toys. He wants a feather on a string to chase. I bought him a big, soft bed. He wouldn’t go near it. Instead, he loves climbing onto a plush, folded-up blanket and making biscuits while purring away before he falls asleep.

“It’s now been over three months. Snuzzles likes dry food. His reaction to Fancy Feast with gravy is like offering kale to a tiger! He doesn’t want to go outside. He doesn’t want plush animal toys or laser dots to chase. He has, however, recently discovered a new toy: his tail. Try as he might, he cannot catch it, but that doesn’t deter him. He’s definitely a ‘party of one.’

“What matters most in life to Snuzzles? He wants food. He wants sleep. He wants, no, almost demands, chin scratches and being scratched behind the ears. And to ensure that I understand his appreciation, he grabs my wrist and pulls it to his chest as he cleans my hand and fingers with great attention and a tongue that’s as gentle as a pumice stone.

“In short, he snuggles, he nuzzles. And he really doesn’t care what I call him -- as long as it’s not ‘late for dinner!’”

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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.