Patches was one of the kittens tossed from a moving vehicle on a day when snow was moving in. During one of my attempts to rescue the kittens from the cold Patches’ litter mate Puggy ran to and fro trying to get my attention. She led me to a rotted out tree stump where Patches had fallen in head first. He was wedged and buried by snow in the tree stump with only his back feet visible.
I carefully dug him out and because he appeared to be turning blue, I put him inside my coat to warm him. Alas! He was the first one rescued. As I carried him to warmth and safety I look over my shoulder to see little kittens curiously taking steps to follow. Naturally, their fear was stronger than their curiosity and they all scampered for cover in the brush again.
With one baby safe in a heated crate with free access to food and water, I was certain the others would find him. Later that evening I peered out the window and saw that the other kittens had in fact found their little brother. Little did I know at that time that the mamma cat was soon to follow and probably had been watching from a hiding spot the whole time.
At the time of this writing, Patches was healthy aside from the occasional eye infection. He loved cutting in front of me to force me to stop and give him attention. He would walk alongside me tripping over his own feet, and mine, as he looked up at me for acknowledgement. Naturally, he got lots of cuddles. He still loved his litter mates and his favorite night time cuddle buddy was his brother, PacMan.
Patches was terrified of thunderstorms and hated the rain. Because of that, he had a special hiding place in the building especially for him where he could burrow in and feel safe. He also hid from other people he didn’t know.
Patches was one of the ones that preferred the great outdoors for taking care of “business.” He would use a litter box if he absolutely must, but he had the habit of waiting until he was let out of the shelter for exercise.
Patches was neutered and vaccinated, but required occasional treatment for eye and ear infections.
During the coldest of winters in his old age, we brought him and his mommy, SnagglePuss, into our home for good. They both loved being indoors with us where they felt safe for the remainder of their years. Patches lived to a ripe old age of 17 and we surely miss his company.