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Farewell Stripe!

Stripe tries to decide if corn is cat food

This is a sad and a happy story. The funny thing is, the sad and the happy parts are the very same parts. I’m not a genius, I’m just a capybara, so I’m not even going to try to figure that out. All I have to say is that Stripe doesn’t live with us anymore — not that he ever did to hear Melly tell it.

Me and Stripe and Maple all in a row

Those of you who are regular readers will remember my previous blog post about Stripe and how cute he is. Even Melly agreed he was cute. But she also said he was trouble.

Stripe and Maple face off

The above photo shows the basis of the problem: Stripe is a carnivore and rabbits are carnivore food. It doesn’t seem to matter that Stripe could never catch either Maple or Oakley or that either one of the rabbits weighed considerably more than him, Melly said we could not have a cat chasing them around all the time. I countered that the rabbits could surely use a bit of exercise, if you know what I mean, but Melly said no.

The search was on to find him a new home.

First Melly tried Sheldon but he said he already has two cats and three cats is more animal hording than just keeping pets.

Philip and Stripe

Then she tried her son Philip. He doesn’t come visit me very often because he has a full time job, he’s taking three college courses and he has a little family. Melly tried to convince him that Stripe would be a perfect cat for his daughter, Celeste. That’s the same Celeste who inspired Celeste and the Giant Hamster so you know she would love to have a pet cat. But Philip said no, he doesn’t have time to care for a cat no matter how cute.

Then Melly tried her daughter, Coral, and we have a winner!

Coral and Stripe

It was love at first sight. Coral immediately realized what a great cat Stripe is. She was impressed that you can hold him upside down and scratch his stomach. But she didn’t like his name. This is still somewhat in the air, but it looks like Flopsy is the current favorite. It makes some sense because that kitten just flops around.

Coral and Flopsy

Flopsy even likes to be hugged, which is a big deal for Coral.

After Coral agreed to take Flopsy and make him part of her family, she needed some things for him. She and Melly decided to go to PetsMart to find everything a newly adopted cat needs.

Flopsy sleeping at PetsMart

Flopsy was a big hit at the store, from what I heard. Everyone was surprised at how cute and how calm he is. He even fell asleep in his new cat tower before they even bought it!

Me & Sheldon going to Coral's apartment

I am going to miss Flopsy…but not yet since I got to go visit him today, just one day after he left! I’d never even been to Coral’s apartment before but we stopped by there to pick her up on our way to The Dino Park (a blog post is coming up on that adventure later this week).

Checking out Coral's apartment

Apartments seem to be small houses with no yards. I am glad I do not live there but as I checked the place out, I could see that Coral and Melly went over-the-top to make it a nice home for Flopsy. And he seems to like it there.

I guess it passes.

The apartment passed my rigorous inspection so I guess it’s okay for Flopsy. Probably better than living in our yard with the cold weather coming on. And he and Coral seem to be a perfect match. Hopefully I will be visiting him often.

10 comments to Farewell Stripe!

  • Kim

    Hooray! Stripe (or Flopsy) appears to be a great kitty now he has a great home! I was a little worried about the bunnies myself–they might not know how much bigger and faster they are and they can be easily scared. You should be able to understand that, Mr. Scardybara. 😉 And now he has a nice warm place and you can visit him. What a lovely story!

  • Gari, you are very brave. I am afraid of cats! And that harness contraption would be the end of the story for me! I would never let Stacy put that getup on me!

  • Lynn

    Excellent news! I’m just surprised Coral has no other pets! Being a pet sitter I can count on one hand the # of cats that are indeed petable! Flopsy & Coral are both very fortunate!

  • I’m amazed Stripe (er, Flopsy) could sleep through PetSmart. It’s been a while since I had my cats to the store, but last time I did they were a paranoid ball of fluff’n’stuff.

  • What a great ending to this story! Congrats all around! Gari, you are an excellent human and pet matchmaker!

  • Francine

    Dobs is right, uour harness looks very complex! I’m glad that Flopsy has a new home, and I agree with Coral, it’s vital that a pet like to be hugged. Remember how sad Maple looked when Coral hugged her? So now it’s good for everyone!

  • Liz

    Bitter-sweet, but happy story indeed. Friends move away, but remember, you can always visit. I’m glad to see that Stripe/Flopsy got to go to the pet store and pick out his own tower.

  • Glad this story had a happy ending. Goodness, Stripe/Flopsy is such a cuddly cat! Looks like he’s going to live like a king at Coral’s apartment.
    Those showdowns with the rabbits were probably a little stressful for the buns, especially since they interrupted their grazing so often. Now all the rodents can relax.

  • Oops, I just remembered that rabbits are lagomorphs, so not strictly rodents. But still….

  • Sydney Elliot

    Gari! I live in the same apartment complex as Coral! I just met her recently and we are now friends on facebook. I follow you on facebook too. I hope I get the chance to meet you!

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