Cat of the Month, August 2017: Mouse

When Chris Lomaka was looking to adopt a cat, he found one at a shelter in Florida. But the little kitten had a sister, and because the litter mates were so cute together, Chris couldn’t resist. “We named her Mouse because when we adopted her, she had this skinny little rat tail and was relatively shy in comparison to her sister,” Chris remembers.

Now 15 years old, Mouse—a soft and beautiful calico kitty—is our August Cat of the Month. A frequent boarder at Rainier Veterinary Hospital, Mouse has mellowed with age, but not much. “As a kitten, she often would bring us small garden snakes that she caught on the lanai,” Chris says. “Nowadays, she prefers to bring me play food from ‘the scary kids.’ I’ll hear her meowing through the house, announcing her victorious hunt, to be presented with her impressive catch of a felt doughnut, cupcake, or tomato wedge.”

Chris says the game doesn’t end there. “Oftentimes, she waits not only for congratulations, but for me to throw it so she can run after it, catch it again, and bring it back to me,” he says.

Those “scary kids” Chris was referring to? His three children. However, Mouse has warmed to them over the years: “She’s gone from a ‘run for the hills’ (or under the covers) with my first child to, ‘Oh fine, you may pet me, but be quick about it’ with my youngest.”

So perhaps Mouse is still living up to her nickname in that she’s a bit of a scaredy-cat. “Pet sitters would often remark that they wouldn’t see her at all the first day or so,” Chris says. “We started giving them a list of her regular hiding spots, one of which is under the covers of our bed. Once she’s had a chance to adjust to a newcomer, she can be quite snuggly, especially when she knows there’s food involved.”

Pet sitters don’t see much of Mouse lately, as Chris brings her to Rainier Vet for boarding during longer vacations, as her kidneys have declined. “But the last time I picked her up,” he says, “the tech said that Mouse warmed up to him pretty quickly.”

We always love a stay with Mouse! Thanks for your continued patronage, Chris!

About Our Cat of the Month Program

Here’s how our Cat of the Month program works: Each staff member provides a nomination for the distinguished honor, and then we vote. The highest vote wins! Any kitty patients who visit us during the prior month are eligible.