Oliver's visage
When Oliver went missing, ah er on his "walkabout" in February 2011, he was a reddish-orange striped tabby cat. Friendly but a bit timid. He was a big boy then -- about 14 pounds -- but I imagine he has lost some weight since then due to all the exercise. He had a round face, a bit of white under the chin and down the chest (not much white) and lovely light green eyes. His claws were intact so he could defend himself if he ever got out. I kept them trimmed and he was an indoors-only kitty in my care. Oliver was microchipped...but I've heard that the chips don't always work or stay in, and that not all readers can read all chips. FYI, he was a neutered male, that as of then, had received all the vaccinations.
There have been scattered sightings of Oliver. The most recent was someone saw what looked like him in a village south of 466. They were unable to contain the cat they saw then safely, and thus I was unable to get there to id him and pick him up. I live out of state but have family in the Villages and I monitor the updates on his appearances.
Via one of the online alert systems I set up in 2011, I was alerted to another sighting about 75 miles south of the Villages a week ago. Since then I have arranged for this cat's food, water, and an updated rabies vaccination. I will get back to Florida in about 2 weeks time and I've arranged for a nice, safe place for this cat to stay in the meantime. I have received updated photos of this particular cat and it may be Oliver.
Oliver was precious due to his personality. He wanted to be petted over and over and over and over again. It was, as if, he was saying, please ma'am may I have some more attention (like Oliver Twist), which is a fairly rare quality in cats. And he purred loudly and for a long time every day. So he was my little boy, and since I adopted him while visiting the Villages, I would still like him back. If not that, then the knowledge, that he is being loved and taken care of elsewhere.
In the months since then, I have adopted a second reddish-orange tabby. That one, unfortunately, is not as friendly as Oliver I, the one that went missing. Oliver II, aka Ollie, is staying in the Villages now with a relative there and yes, I do come down about once a month, one every other to see how the two of them are doing. Ollie was a lonely guy as I traveled alot for work, so I now also have Emma, a pure-bred British short hair. You can think of Emma as looking a great deal like the Cheshsire cat, only smaller (6.5 pounds of pure love). She is gray with horizontal black stripes; her breed is the model cat for the Whiskas brand of cat food. The breed was used as the model for the illustrator of Alice in Wonderland. Yup, at times it looks like she is smiling.
So -- bottom line -- yup, I'd still like to find Oliver I and introduce him to Emma and Ollie.
I was transferred for work to another part of the country for work. One that has a very hot real estate market and while I have been looking diligently for a house of myself, my relatives and my kitty family -- so far, no house, although I sense I am getting there fairly soon.
Oh, the kitties will be capped at three. Oliver I, Ollie and Emma. Two humans. The kitties will stay inside (better for them), and hopefully I'll get something with a screened in porch so the little ones can gaze at the outside world while being safely enclosed. Or at least a really nice picture window with a sill. Yes, they will have to share the sill, and yes, they will have to work that out. Introducing two cats to each other over a period of weeks is very helpful to iron out, the ah hum, differences.
Many, many people helped me look for him. I handed out flyers, ran ads in The Sun, and on the radio station. Many of you here were quite helpful, and I am ever so grateful for that support. I have been told that cats do come back...sometimes years after they went missing. So while the possibility seems remote, I remain hopeful that Oliver is out there somewhere.
Ever so grateful!
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