| Meet Cheddar |
When Cheddar's family first met him at a rescue group's foster home, he wasn't easy to find. "He was very scared," remembers pet parent Sharon, "and would not come out from under the bed."
A Favorite Hiding Place
From what she could see, Sharon says, "I thought he was just beautiful, with his fluffy orange coat and green-yellow eyes." The family decided that "despite his obvious fear, we wanted to give him an opportunity to have a loving family."
But his new, loving environment didn't set Cheddar at ease right away. "Cheddar was a very frightened kitty", says Sharon. "He lived in the master bedroom for two weeks, to give him time to acclimate. If we approached him, he would scamper away and hide under the bed, staying there for the rest of the day. Other times he would hide behind the toilet." After two weeks, Sharon began leaving the bedroom door open.
"He'd finally decided we were family."
"He started out just sticking his head out the door, peeking about. However, one day he appeared in the den and hopped onto the couch, looking to be petted." Cheddar had come out for good. "It was like he'd finally decided we were family."
From Scaredy-Cat to Lap.Dog?
These days, the formerly shy Cheddar "gets everywhere, with no regard for 'off-limits' places", says Sharon. "He loves to climb on the table, kitchen counters and bookshelves (big no-no's!)." Cheddar can also be "very demanding" when it comes to being petted. "When anyone (even strangers) sit down in our home, Cheddar plops down in their lap, expecting to be stroked."
"If he had his druthers, he'd spend the
whole day in a lap, I think!"
"He is the most 'uncat-like'" cat I've ever been around!" Sharon continues. "He's more like a dog, in that he's always looking for affection and petting. He wants to be with us 100% of the time. He loves to have his tummy rubbed (most uncat-like!) If he had his druthers, he'd spend the whole day in a lap, I think!"
In Between Pettings, Bird-Watching
Cheddar's day begins, Sharon says, "when he gets up and demands breakfast, following one of us around meowing until we feed him his Blue Buffalo." After breakfast, Cheddar and Sharon's other cat have a good romp about the house. The rest of the morning is spent sitting in the windowsill watching the birds outside - "if no one's available to pet him." In the afternoon, he likes to nap on one of the beds. "When the kids come home from school," Sharon says, he visits each of them, rolling onto his back to be petted.
On evenings when the weather is nice, Cheddar loves to spend time in a giant wire dog-crate on the deck. "He loves to sniff the air and watch the birds and other wildlife." On other evenings, he plays with the other cat or spends his time "soliciting more stroking from his human companions."
The Mouse and the Cabinet Episode
Living in the country, Cheddar has had his share of adventure - albeit of the indoor variety. "There was a time," Sharon remembers, "when he got himself stuck inside our bathroom cabinet."
"He waltzed away, tail
swinging high in the air."
"He'd heard a mouse inside there and nosed open the door to go investigate. Well, in pursuit of his prey, he pushed out all the drawers, and got himself wedged behind them (he's a rather large cat, around 20 lbs). When I heard his desperate meows and found him, he was completely wedged between the back of the drawers and the wall. I had to grab him by the scruff of the neck and haul him out. Upon being freed, he managed to look unruffled (as only a cat can) and waltzed away, tail swinging high in the air.
Cheddar and BLUE
"Cheddar, being a long-haired cat, has a problem with hairballs," says Sharon. "We'd tried all the other expensive hairball control foods and nothing had worked. We decided to try BLUE after a family member recommended it to us. Once he was switched to Blue Buffalo, the hairballs became much less frequent. His coat shines and he also doesn't shed as much." Another plus Sharon discovered is "we don't need to feed him as much, because the ingredients in Blue Buffalo are so much healthier and more digestible for him."
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