
17/06/2025
"When the tea is brought at five o’clock, and all the neat curtains are drawn with care, the little black cat with bright green eyes is suddenly purring there." Harold Monro
Meet sweet man, Orion! I've already said how partial I am to black cats, but I've got an extra special place in my heart for reformed black street cats. Orion has spent most of his life roaming the streets. We originally caught him because it looked like he had gotten beaten up and needed medical attention. While we were at it, we went ahead and fixed him, hence the clipped ear. Orion came back with a clean bill of health, aside from what seems to be some allergies, but we had to keep him in quarantine for a couple months to retest him, just in case. Wouldn't you know it? You give this man good food, some love and attention and he was not about to let you put him back on the streets.
Even more crazy is to see this man with these kittens. He seems to have a particularly adorable bond with Domino, but he would not allow us to keep him in his own enclosure for the Adoption Outreach. He HAD to be in with the kittens. He was grooming them, cuddling with them, allowing them to make biscuits. It was the most adorable thing!
Meet Orion, our gentle giant. Based on the condition of his teeth, our vet estimates he is only 2 years old, but folks swear he has been around for 4-5 years.
Orion was king of his neighborhood and knew all the best places to ask for dinner. Alarmingly, he showed up one night pretty torn up, so FFLAR trapped him and got him medical attention. He was not thrilled with us at first, but because we needed to hold on to him to test him twice, he was our unwilling guest right up until he figured out 3 square meals a day, a maid to clean his toilet and lots of love was not such a terrible fate after all.
One day he just started chirping at us in a very friendly manner and di his flirtatious body flop. That was the end of his days as a wandering bachelor (not to mention the "loss" of certain incentives).
We were not sure how he would react to other cats, but he showed no signs of aggression and surprisingly, moved downstairs to hang with the kittens. They assumed he was a wet nurse and literally swarmed him. After taking control of the mob and regaining some dignity, he actually started to groom them and continues to tolerate their futile attempts to comfort nurse. He is very loving and patient with them and cannot find a spot for a nap without at least one of the kittens curling up with him. It is just too adorable!
Orion is an ankle wrapper and tends to flop down in front of you, so can be a bit of a tripping hazard. He likes scritches and cooing and is starting to get comfortable with being picked up. He absolutely loves to hang out with us and the kittens and shows signs of being happy to make a connection with any adult cats willing to accept him.
If you think Orion (and perhaps one of his devoted little groupies) would be a great fit into your home and your heart, please contact Laura at 540-272-3506.