* BREAKING NEWS TO THIS STORY NEAR BOTTOM OF POST! *
The sad part about having renters in the house next door is that when they move away, we miss their visiting cats. The scary part about having renters in the house next door is the thought that maybe they won’t take their cats with them. That’s how Zuzu found her way into the shelter system and luckily for her, it was a no-kill shelter, one we had been volunteering at.
Visitor Mustacheo – 2015 © Colehauscats.com
Mustacheo’s humans are moving out. And Mustacheo came to visit yesterday afternoon. Then, long after dark, and in the driving rain, Dad took the garbage out and found him sitting under the shelter of our little garbage can. We can’t remember when we last saw him out at night and figured he was probably staying away from all the packing noise going on next door.
Mustacheo – 2015 © Colehauscats.com
Good-bye, our friend. We’ll miss your visits and loud announcements when you arrive. When we looked deep into your handsome, timeless eyes with all their spots and flecks of colors, we always thought we saw distant galaxies and stars. Cat galaxies, of course. Stay warm, sweet boy, and stay good wherever you go.
Mustacheo’s Brother – 2014 © Colehaus Cats
Needless to say, Mustacheo’s brother, Groucho, will be leaving too.
Also needless to say, if we discover our neighbors have gone completely and left Mustacheo and Groucho behind, after we report them of course, we’ll make sure the pair will be very well cared for. Groucho is completely deaf and probably close to twenty years old. Mustacheo is partially deaf and can’t be much younger. We never thought these two should be left outdoors to mostly fend for themselves. And if we have anything to say about it, they won’t be outdoor cats ever again.
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* LATE BREAKING NEWS! *
Turns out, Mustacheo isn’t the renters cat! Groucho is and has been taken to their new residence across town. As for Mustacheo, the renters told us the day they moved in two years ago, he turned up on their doorstep and has been hanging around ever since. They fed him only occasionally and observed him getting along with Groucho who was rarely let out (so they say – we admit to not seeing Groucho very often). But no, they weren’t adding him to their family.
So, now the hunt begins as to who is Mustacheo’s true family…
… and the push starts to sell enough Quint paintings to afford a real feral shelter and feeding station, via feralvilla.com.
If you haven’t heard, one hundred percent of the proceeds from all paintings by Quint sold between now and January will go toward the purchase of a sturdy, safe, and warm feralvilla.com feral shelter and a feeding station. We have one shelter on its way and are close to purchasing a second.
Feral Villa shelter. Photo courtesy of feralvilla.com
We like feralville.com’s boxes because they are sturdy and will hold up for years in our very wet and cold winters and very, very windy conditions here at Colehaus where we sit nestled at the base of the foothills of the Cascade mountain range. We’ve just come out of a sub-freezing cold snap all of last week and are back into our usual inch of rain or so every other day pattern with 38-42 (Fahrenheit)/3.3-5.5 (Celsius) degree nights and 40-50/4.4-10 degree days.
We’re so close to being able to purchase a second shelter and would love to add a feeding station or two this winter. If you can help, and we are certain Mustacheo, Cocoa, Tough Boy, and the nameless others would send all their stray and feral cat kisses to you if you did, and would like a little something hand… er, paw-made by Quint, perhaps in time for the holidays, please visit his art shop. We thank you!
Mustacheo, Cocoa, Toughie, Scruffy – 2015 © Colehauscats.com
