Murphy Tails
by owner Debra Bunston

After having my old cat pass away, I was catless for about a year and decided I wanted another cat, preferably a kitten. My then-spouse did not want a kitten, but said he had always wanted a big grey cat. I ignored this and called my vet, Willow Park Feline Clinic, to ask if they knew of any kittens.

"No, but we have a big beautiful grey cat that needs a home". Hmmmm.

This cat was Murphy - 2 years old and 17 lbs of fur and fight. He had been brought to the vet because of crystals in his urine, but his owners could not afford the operation and agreed to surrender him to the vet. I'm sure they cared about him, but sometimes people misjudge the expense of keeping a pet.

Murphy has taught me this lesson very well! He is now 17 years old and has multiple health issues, including arthritis, cataracts, thyroid and liver issues and diabetes. We make many trips to the vet and have a shelf load of kitty meds.

Interestingly, our original vet has recently retired. She is not old. She is younger than I am. Hmmmm.

During his six month's stay at the vet's, Murph tried a few home placements, including one where the other cats beat him up and one where the people put him (an indoor cat) outside. He was lost for two days until the vet tech searched the alleys looking for him and returned him to the clinic.

I'm sure traumatic experiences contributed to Murphy's unique "catitude". I first met him in the vet's food storeroom where he paced around the room, hissing and spitting at me. Undaunted, I made arrangements to take him home. He let me know what he thought of his new home by disappearing in the furthest farthest corner of the basement under the stairwell, not to be seen for three days.

The first year was - well, a little rocky. Six months passed before I was able to pick him up and after nine months he jumped up on my lap for the first time. This has improved over the years and now he can even be cuddly. However, any and all affection is on his terms. He still lashes out if you touch him the wrong way or try to groom him, or if you are Uncle Dave, or any other feline- justified reason.

I once asked the vet, "Why is it that when I'm petting him, he suddenly bites or scratches me? She said, "You are either petting him too much, or not petting him enough".

Ah, of course - so smart - no wonder she retired young. Hmmmm.

Once he became diabetic, we knew we could not leave him with a baby-sitter, because he is a bit "difficult". So, we schedule our time around his meds, including our camping holidays, where Murphy comes along and shares our little trailer. Luckily Murphy LOVES camping and one of his many nicknames is Murphy the Camping Cat. His most famous and probably most descriptive name is The Murphinator. That name strikes fear in the hearts of many, but we love our Murph.