Rongo

My managing partner and feline friend.

Ah, yes. Rongo is far more chill than I've ever managed to be.

Captured from the start

Rongo's life started in the wetlands behind my former home. I'm uncertain what his earliest days were like, but they obviously involved plenty of water, since, even now, he has a very complex relationship with it.

Our introduction occurred when he was just a wee lad who could fit into the palm of my hand. He showed up in our back yard one day, just relaxed as could be. At the time he didn't have any people skills at all and was quite skittish if we got too close. But most of the time he was just playful and enjoying life.

An older neighbor had nurtured many of the stray cats that lived in the wetlands, but about a year before Rongo found his way to our back yard, she'd been forced to move to an assisted living facility. Her daughter had plans to catch most of the cat colony, but we all decided that Rongo would need to stay.

The poor guy was so tiny and didn't have any obvious hunting skills. I called our vet and borrowed a safe trap from him. All it took was a tiny bit of gooshy wet food, and he was more than willing to wander into it. Rongo had worms, and a few other lasting healthy issues from his early days, but was mostly healthy and hungry.

And very very afraid.

Integrating him into the household

At the time we had 3 other cats, Socrates, Ci-ci, and Rosie. Socs and Ci were siblings, and quite a bit older than Rosie or Rongo. We took introductions slowly, and I made it my job to make Rondo feel safe.

To Rongo, that ended up meaning that I was his new mom.

The little guy would snuggle up and lick my chin if there was any hint of beard. He'd crash on my shoulders when I was in my office chair on the computer. Even as a kitten he would crawl under the covers at night to hide next to me.

Now Socrates was also 'my' cat. Socs had been born to a huge litter, and he was the one who'd picked me out of all of them. My big orange boy was not amused that this little black-furred kitten wanted me too.

It took a few weeks, but they eventually reached an understanding that involved taking turns. Ci mostly ignored Rongo, except for those rare occasions when she wanted to play. Rosie though - well they became buds. The two had a lot in common as feral rescues, but Rosie was a tortie, complete with every bit of the tortoiseshell attitude you would expect. She was the boss of him and let Rongo know!

The little guy grew like a weed and was one of the most playful little kittens I've ever helped raise. But, between the older cats and whatever his experience in the wetlands had been, he was never willing to put up much of a fight. Rongo was always submissive, both to the other cats and use. He'd flop, belly up, at the drop of a hat.

My son's loved Rongo and would play with him for hours. He was the perfect Covid kitten bored older teenagers during the early weeks of lockdown. They even helped Sue train him to fetch, just like a puppy! His favorite for this are the little rubber unicorns that you can fire across the room. If Rongo ever sees one of those fly, a mad dash ensues, and he'll come trotting back with it in his mouth. As a kitten he would do this for hours.

Not all changes are easy

Rongo was devastated when my boys left for college. He missed those guys something fierce. He'd play with me, but playing with just 'mom' clearly wasn't the same.

Then Socs passed. My orange fellow lived 15 and a half years, and they weren't nearly long enough. I missed him terribly, but to Rongo his passing mostly meant that he didn't have to worry about sharing me anymore. That change was a lot easier on him than me.

Next, Rongo and I moved into an apartment, and he hated it! The space was fine. Rongo had room to run and play. There was plenty of food and I made sure to give him a lot of love and attention. He missed Rosie, but that wasn't his major issue. The real problem was the cars.

In his cat mind cars were dangerous. From the wetlands and later our house, Rongo had mostly only seen them from a distance. Even before the move he would sometimes growl at vehicles passing by on our infrequently travelled street. But, at the apartment, we were right next to a busy road. So close in fact, that it sometimes felt like the louder motorcycles and cars were in the apartment with us!

This, along with all the other changes, stressed the poor guy out something fierce.

Enter Higo

I knew that I was going to have to make some changes. First up, I introduced Rongo to his new younger brother, Higo.

It didn't take long at all for them to become good buds, and having the young one around was really helpful for Rongo.

Next, I moved again, to a place without nearly as much direct car noise. Lowering the stress level that way, and having a new friend were huge for Rongo. Today he's far happier and he loves being a 'big brother' to Higo. The two of them are the best of goofballs.

What's next?

As a very slight spoiler, let me say that I do have plans for Rongo, or at least a very fictional version of him, to appear in my writing. He's simply too much fun to not share with everyone else - and I hope you enjoy his appearance as much as I'm going to enjoy making it happen!

Safe travels to you and all of your own furry companions!