Pet Profile - Fang

Fang's Story:

A few months after moving from Texas to Utah, Andrew and I were browsing Petco. We were both excited to get a dog eventually, but for now we were renting a basement apartment and it really just wasn't an option. It didn't seem to stop us from checking out the adoption events though. And wouldn't you know it, there was an adoption event on that fateful Friday...but only for cats.

I of course, walked around and petted the kittens...but there was quite a little crowd around one black cat in particular. She was crying to get out of the crate she was in, and there was a non-stop supply of people willing to hold her. I watched as one older lady in particular kept fawning all over this black kitty. Then I noticed the teeth.

This picture was taken at Petco the day I met Fang.

She looked like a little vampire with her shiny green eyes and her white fangs protruding from her mouth. To be honest it was a little frightening, but fascinating. After the old lady finally put her down, and the crowd dispersed a little bit, I made my move. Fang was crying again, so I asked one of the volunteers if I could hold her. He of course said yes, and it was a love connection! 

The volunteer told me that this was his favorite cat. She was rescued from an animal hoarder...and they weren't really sure how old she was. Their best guess was that she was around 7 years old. (After getting her to a vet, we found out that she was actually about 10+) The volunteer also told me that black cats statistically have a harder time being adopted. Well there you have it, we would be saving her life! (At least that's what I told Andrew when I begged him to consider adopting her.)

Andrew wasn't really sold...we were more excited about getting a dog, and we already have a cat! Juliet is not the best at adjusting to change. The volunteer offered to let us take her home for a week as a trial to see if the two cats could get along...but Andrew put him off explaining that we would need to check with our landlord. It was so hard to put her back in that crate. The volunteer told us to think about it, and that they would be back at Petco tomorrow morning continuing their adoption event. 

The whole way home I was feeling pretty low. I pulled out all the stops, we're talking guilt trips, desperate pleas, you name it. Finally Andrew told me if I could get permission from the landlord we would give her a trial with Juliet. A text message later I was a happy girl! The next morning I was at Petco with my cat carrier ready to take home my new baby! 

Love at first sight! 

The trial week went by, and towards the end of it Juliet was finally starting to be OK with the idea of sharing her space with this senior citizen. So I returned to Petco to let them know that we would be keeping her. Guess who was there? The old lady asking after Fang. I overhear her saying that she wanted to adopt that cute vampire kitty and bring her home. Of course the volunteer saw me standing nearby and explained that we had already adopted her. The look of disappointment on the old lady's face I will never forget. 

So while I did adopt a black cat, I have no disillusions that I saved Fang. There were a number of people ready to bring her home. To me that just means that I need to be worthy of having her. I need to provide the best home possible, because I was lucky enough to adopt the vampire kitty. 

Now her teeth don't look scary to me, but more goofy.

In the end Juliet and Fang have become best friends. Every night we can hear them chasing each other through the house and playing together. Occasionally during the day you can catch sweet moments between them. Fang is a total opposite of Juliet, she is a lap kitty who adores attention. She is agile and loves to play, despite her old age. She has truly been a great addition to our family. 

Typical cat, obsessed with boxes.

She has an obsession with pens and pencils. She tries to bat at them while you are writing.

She's a part of the family! 

My dad hates cats, but even he couldn't resist her charms.