Charlie Jumps Ship

We lost one of our crew members.  Charlie, the three legged Snowshoe Siamese cat.

Pam got Charlie when we lived in upstate New York.  He was a stray, living under someone's porch.  He's a big cat and the neighbors were afraid to pick him up, but they left food out for him so he wouldn't starve.   Pam found out about him through the local coconut telegraph and decided to adopt him.   She dove under the porch and scooped him up while wearing big thick gloves.

Back at Pam's apartment, he seemed friendly enough while Pam was petting him, and then he bit her.  Pam smacked him upside the head, real good.  They came to understand each other after that and there was no more bitting, just a warning from Charlie when he'd been petted enough.

Charlie loved Pam and would follow her everywhere, just like a dog.   Well, he got out once when he wasn't supposed to and followed her outside and was hit by a car.  He wound up losing his left rear leg and his tail partially paralyzed.  It didn't seem to faze him much though, and he scampers around just fine on three legs, especially on hardwood floors.   He needs help getting up on beds and such, and he needs someone to scratch under his left chin since he can't do it himself.  When he tries, he falls over.

Charlie seemed to love living on Drift Away too.  Lots of cool little places to curl up in and new and exciting things to see outdoors.   That is, he loved it until it moved.  Charlie gets around fine, but with only three legs and a paralyzed tail he doesn't have good balance. He might even have some neurological damage because his eyes sometimes flick side to side.   Charlie gets seasick.   Really seasick.  So seasick that we had to lock him in the forward head to contain the mess.  

Here in Annapolis, Pam finally made the difficult decision to put him up for adoption.  She asked her friends, posted a note on Facebook, and I mentioned it on this blog.  With the clock ticking as we get ready to leave Annapolis and no takers, I posted a note on Craig's List.   Stephanie answered the call.   Charlie now has a new home with two dogs and another cat, just like we have on Drift Away.  He also has three small children to play with him who can scratch under his chin.

Bye buddy, we're going to miss you, and I'm sure you miss your momma, but it's for the best.  You have a new family and even have a yard now.  From the pic, it looks like you're settling in fine (tip to Emily- don't touch his back leg.  It's his last one and he's very protective of it).

Thank you, Stephanie, for taking Charlie in. He's an awesome cat and we miss him already.