is he fred or is he rizhik?

a ginger by any other name is just as crazy

Imagine: Changing names, changing addresses, getting your balls cut off then changing everything back again.

That’s what happened to Rizhik

Or Fred?

Dunno.

Since July there’s been an orange tabby with big bulbous nuts ratting around the neighbourhood.

His ears had mites and he seemed scrawny.

But his purr?

As a cat person, I can confirm that his pur is world class.

My children fell in love.

My wife fell in love.

I thought about how much cats cost - not when you get them, but once they get sick, they get super expensive quickly.

Day after day, week after week he kept coming around until they had enough. They scooped him and brought him to the SPCA.

too many kitties

Three years ago, it was difficult to get a kitten or even a young cat. These days with people returning to their offices, the demand for cats has dropped and there’s no room at the inn for stray male cats. They would not accept him there.

Instead? We were encouraged to adopt him.

Encouraging my wife to adopt an animal is like encouraging an ice cube to melt in the sahara. Quick as a whip, the had him to the vet for a day. There, they removed his nuts posthaste. A room in our house was set up for him to recover before introducing him to our other animals.

Freddy was in our basement for a week. That’s when I saw the poster. Rizhik was missing from home. He was missed. He had a little girl wondering what happened to her kitty.

Today, I met that little girl and returned the cat. I outlined the vet care that was provided. They were grateful It’s so expensive. How can we repay you?

Keep him inside. He’s a beautiful cat. The traffic here is bad. I don’t want to see him squished some night.

We really wanted to keep that cat.

He was a good one.

And a ginger too.

But ya know what?

If I hadn’t returned him I’d never learned that Rizhik means ginger in Ukrainian.

Now, I can insult those devilish mutant ginger types in yet another language.

That’s a win.

But right meow?

I’m more concerned for Fred.

Or Rizhik.

With no balls and no idea who he is, things have gotta be tough.

He seems so scared here at his home? Was he happier with you?

The mom was worried that Rizhik was unhappy to be taken home.

Of course he’s scared. I stuffed him in a bag (cat carrier) and rode over here with him on my bicycle.

How would you like it if I stuff you in a bag and took you for a bike ride?

Don’t answer.

Weirdo.