The family had other cats, but this kitten would be all his! Mom said OK when he brought it home: a beautiful little ball of fluff. The kitten looked just like a little bear, so he named him Cubby. The boy was twelve when he found Cubby, and they grew up together. In good times and bad, Cubby was always there to listen and love.
Then when the boy was a senior in high school, the unthinkable happened. He had only one semester left to graduate, and his parents were moving some 40 miles away. If he wanted to graduate with his classmates, he would have to stay with friends because the commute would be impossible for him. He had a tight schedule of school, a part-time job, and sports. The parents said that they would not keep the cat, although they had two others. It was his cat, and it would just need to be “put down” if the son could not find a place for it!
This was how I met the young man. He called, almost in tears. He was desperate. He needed a foster home for his cat Cubby. Speaking with Jerry, it became clear that this was a very responsible young man. He was getting good grades in school and even taking college courses. After graduation, he planned to move to California to attend college and play hockey where his dad lived, and take Cubby with him. Thus I agreed to foster Cubby at Camille’s Cathouse for the spring semester.
When Jerry brought Cubby to me, I was impressed. Jerry was well-spoken, without the typical slang jargon of teenagers. Cubby appeared healthy, although a little thin, with sparse hair on his hind quarters, perhaps reflecting his stressful home situation. The love between boy and his cat was obvious. He held him close to his face, hugged him, and promised to visit him. Cubby purred goodbye.
Throughout the semester, Jerry called to check on his cat, and visited when he could. Cubby was always happy to see him and both enjoyed their playtime together. Cubby enjoyed the company of other cats and started to put on some weight and his coat thickened. He used the litter box
faithfully. He appeared to dislike only one kind of cat, the fluffy Persians. Were they too much competition for his beauty, or was it just fun to chase them because they ran and squealed?
At last, graduation day came, but there was a complication. As Jerry was making plans to move to California, his dad informed him that his apartment complex did not allow pets! We discussed putting Cubby up for adoption, but Jerry loved his cat so much he wanted to try to keep him so that they could be reunited someday. At that point, a friend of his agreed to foster him. The friend had a cat of his own, so that should be no problem.
Not so. After about a month, Cubby started urinating outside the litter box. He was taken to the vet, and Jerry’s Mom reluctantly paid the bill. The diagnosis was chronic cystitis. Cubby would need medication and special prescription food. Mom thought long term care was totally unreasonable, and again was ready to put Cubby down!
Cubby went home with the friend but continued to urinate outside the litter box, so back he came to Camille’s Cathouse. Once there, he was a happy boy, purring and playing and using the litter box. Had his condition been stress-induced? In the friend’s home he had not been the dominant cat. He had been there because of a sense of obligation, not of love, and was clearly unhappy.
It so happened that another young man had observed Cubby for all of these months. This second young man, Josh, had had a cat die recently, after a long battle with diabetes. The remarkable thing was that whenever he saw Cubby, he held him to his face and hugged him in the same way that Jerry 
had. The match was obvious: love at first sight. It took a while for Josh to overcome his mourning for his old cat, but then the happy day came: he was ready to adopt Cubby! Josh was aware of Cubby’s past behavioral problems, but was willing to give him a chance.
Cubby now lives a wonderful life, very much loved, a life without stress. There have been no recurrences of his “stress-induced” urinary problem. He even has a new playmate, a kitten named Tamagochi. Cubby has become the dominant cat and has been renamed appropriately. He is now called Mr. Miyagi, after the teacher in the movie “Karate Kid.” He is teaching the kitten to enjoy the good life.
