Hal was scared at first (the top left photo was taken when he arrived. But he settled in very quickly. He makes his home in the common areas of the shelter these days.

Hal was hanging around someone's house for about a month trying to get in. Rescuers scooped him and had him altered but a tumour on his shoulder needed attention. That's when he came to Katie's Place. Our vet removed the tumour and found it was benign. So after a stint in a collar, Hal was as good as new. He had been scared after his long journey to Katie's Place and he kept to himself for the first week or two. Then he relaxed and showed us his true nature. Hal proved to be an exceptionally cheerful, affectionate, bubbly little character. But he was still a plain, black, adult male among dozens of attractive cats who were equally affectionate and eager to meet people. Spring turned to summer and 2008 became 2009. Nobody wanted Hal. He was such an energetic and sociable cat that we had to give him 'hallway' privileges. Hal now more or less makes his home in Katie's Place's common areas where he amuses himself snooping around -- and leaving the occasional calling card. He's begun scent-marking. He's probably reacting to the dozens of cats that come and go, and it's very unlikely he'd do it in a home of his own. But we can't absolutely promise people that he'll stop right away when they get him home. We've also been treating him for a sore mouth. So even though Hal is one of the most lovable cats you could ever hope to meet, it looks like he'll be hard-to-place.

Watch Hal's video below to see Hal's Great Escape, and watch him hobnob once he's out among people. Soon after this, the hallway became his home rather than a place for him to visit when he escaped his communal room.

April 18/09
Hal's sense of adventure and curiosity have been piqued by the warmer weather of spring. Now he's intent on checking out the front yard. We hope to allow our long term cats outside access once the landscaping is complete. But right now it's bare dirt and mud, and there are still gaps around the bottom of the fence. None of that matters to Hal though. He only smells the warm spring outside and he wants to see it. Over the last week, he's kept the volunteers hopping. First he darted out and disappeared under the building. He was lured out with some smelly food and he emerged covered in cobwebs. Then he dashed out again as another volunteer was bringing in bags of litter. She was horrified and was so relieved to catch up with him and nab him. But he did it to the same volunteer again and he led her on a merry chase right around the building. She gave up the chase and ran back to get a plate of smelly food. When she opened the door to go out with the smelly food, Hal was right there. Another relieved moment! He's a dickens. But now that he's accustomed to hallway privileges, he's impossible to confine in a communal room. Our highest priority now is to get the landscaping finished so they can go outside as planned. The fence is there. The doors from select porches are there. We only have to get top soil and grass laid and ensure all gaps around the fence are blocked and that they can't get underneath the building.

May 11/09
    Hal isn't very happy right now. His usual cheerful disposition has been dampened by a couple of problems. First, he has stomatitis (gum inflammation). Although it's painless much of the time, it's very painful if a cat bites down the wrong way. He was on Prednisone. Then when he went to the vet for a check up, it turned out that the prednisone wasn't doing any good. So he's having a full mouth extraction. Often cats with chronic oral inflammation can be helped by having all their teeth removed. It seems to relieve the pain and they're able to eat and groom as always. They still enjoy their crunchies. In fact, they enjoy them more without the risk of a tooth pang.
    His second (and bigger) problem is Brady, the other cat with whom he shares the hallway. Brady has hallway privileges because he's such a rambunctious character that he was making life miserable for the other cats in his communal room. There's lots of room for both Hal and Brady in the hallway but if Brady crosses paths with Hal, he'll put the run on the poor fellow. Hal is not a dominant cat while Brady is an in-your-face kind of guy, not malicious but strong-willed. Poor Hal is intimidated and must watch his step in order to avoid Brady. There's not much we can do to make life easier for Hal. He doesn't like being confined to a communal room. The lesser evil is to live in the hall and keep an eye open for Brady. Once we've got the outside finished, they can both go out to enjoy more space and new diversions.

Sept/09
    Hal has lost the ebullience he once had. He was so lively and loving, we were sure he'd find a home. But he's just a plain, black boy; nobody chose him. Meanwhile, he's not a dominant cat and he has to dodge cats who are. He began scent-marking and peeing outside the pan, a sign of mental conflict. Unfortunately, that only makes it harder for him to get out. People don't want to take the chance that he'd stop in a different environment. In a compatible place, he would certainly be as well behaved as he ever was. For now, he's voluntarily given up his hallway privileges. He couldn't handle sharing the hall with rambunctious Brady. If Hal showed any inclination to run, that triggered Brady to chase him. And Hal always ran. Now he passes his time by himself in a communal room. We just pray that someone will take the chance that he'll used his litter pan and recover his lovable nature in a home of his own. Such miracles have occurred for our critters.
    We put the word out to all the volunteers that Hal needed a little extra TLC. When one of us went out to the porch to visit with him, he climbed right into her arms for a cuddle. The attention seems to be making him feel a bit better.
 

Sept 30/09
Hal's nemesis, Brady, was adopted. So Hal resumed Hall Cat privileges with delight. He now trots around, snooping into everything and hopping into laps at any opportunity. He's a happy guy again and it's a relief to see.

Jan/10
Unfortunately, another cat who was incompatible with communal living has joined the Hall Cat club. Pharaoh needed more space than a communal room offered and he was making life hard for the other cats in his room. Hal is a submissive fellow compared to strong-willed types like Brady and Pharaoh. So now he has to keep his eyes open for Pharaoh. Something about Hal brings out the worst in these dominant cats. But Pharaoh isn't as bad as Brady was. Hal still enjoys being a Hall Cat. He's still lively and cheerful most of the time. The hallway is big enough that he can avoid Pharaoh most of the time and hobnob with people as he loves to do.

Hal prepares to dash off as Pharaoh spies him from above.
 

Apr 26/10
Hal must be doing a lively Happy Dance! Pharaoh was adopted yesterday. No more looking out for the big bruiser. Now if only he could get rid of nasty ol' Edward with the major bad attitude, life would be perfect. It would be just Hal and the girls living in the hall: blind Aruba, prissy ol' Bobbi, mild-mannered Laverne, and quiet Neesa -- oh and Charlie the squawker. (But Charlie barely knows what's going on most of the time, he's no trouble.) Big Pharaoh's adoption must be a huge relief for our tender, slender Hal.

May/10
Life still isn't perfect for Hal, even though Pharaoh is gone. Edward is declawed so he's hypersensitive to anything he interprets as a challenge or an intrusion on his space. Edward has put the run on Hal even though he's declawed. He still has his teeth, as we're sure he reminds Hal. Even when he's resting, Hal seems to be watchful. It caused his scent-marking to increase, which, unfortunately, only makes it harder to recommend him to adopters. The odds are excellent that if he was an only cat, he would never scent-mark. But we can't guarantee that. So Hal is stuck. The bright point of his day is when the Feeders start dishing up canned food. He'll hurry right down to the kitchen and demand a share. Canned food is a treat he never misses out on if he can help it.

July 28/10
Hal has outside privileges. On these warm summer mornings, he scoots out the door as soon as we arrive and you can almost hear him yell, "Yippee!" Then he potters around within the fenced area surrounding the shelter, exploring and enjoying the sun, scents, and breezes. We check on him frequently and we don't leave him outside too long. So yesterday we went in search of him, calling for him as we looked around the front and side yards. Soon a black form appeared from the long grass at the end of the yard and trotted toward us. As Hal got closer, we could see some kind of small rodent in his mouth. Horrified for the poor wee thing, we grabbed him and pried his jaws open. Hal wasn't expecting that and the creature dropped out of his mouth easily. It was already dead so we headed back to the door, holding Hal. Poor fellow, he had been so pleased and proud of his prize, only to have it left behind in the dust. He struggled to get loose and retrieve it. Maybe it was a gift for us. Maybe it was a trophy. Whichever, Hal was extremely disappointed to lose it. Once back inside, he cried at the door to get out again and he looked at us with sorrowful eyes. When the door wasn't opened however, he contented himself with his indoor pursuits. We felt bad for ruining Hal's triumph. He'd been so happy and had been coming to us trustingly with his treasure in his teeth. But we just couldn't applaud the needless death of any creature.

Sept 22/10
Poor old Hal, he's always the nerd among the other cats and he always ends up getting picked on. His first nemesis, Brady, found a new home. Then his next nemesis, Pharaoh, was adopted. Cranky Edward has elected to live in a communal room these days. You'd think life for Hal would be just about perfect now. But no. Another cat, Marty, has joined the ranks of Hall Cats, and wouldn't you just know that Marty picks on Hal. Poor sweet-natured, gangly, skinny Hal just can't stand up to these guys. So he hides or goes outside.

Oct 30/10
We're getting Hal used to living in one of the communal rooms again. He seems to be doing well. Of course he'd rather have the run of the place. But Marty was picking on him badly and Hal was spending more and more time outdoors, which was risky even though the shelter property is fully fenced. Hal could slip through the gates as people come and go; he could even climb the fence if he wanted to expand his territory. We don't want him tempted to do that. He chafes a bit at being confined in a communal room sometimes but, for the most part, he's adapting really well. The ideal solution for Hal is for someone to give him a chance to prove himself in a proper home. He doesn't show himself at his best in the shelter where he's surrounded by so many other cats. But a sweetheart like Hal in a real home could be the best friend anyone ever had!

Nov/10
Hal is getting used to living in a communal room again. Sometimes he seems rather sad. He's a sociable fellow who prefers people to cats. He probably misses being able to greet visitors and hobnob with everyone in the hall. But he's a resilient fellow who is making the best of his situation. He still gets to enjoy the outdoors via the porch. He can't hunt rodents like he used to, but he can see what's going on in the world beyond and he can enjoy the sun and wind out there.

April/11
Hal's mouth looked a bit better within a few weeks. He continues to get regular check ups and we've been able to reduce his Prednisone now. He's eating well. At his last check up on April 25, his mouth was great. He's looking good even if he is a skinny little scrap of a fellow.

Hal is conscious of being a lightweight and he treds carefully around the larger males even if they don't notice him, poor guy.

June 28/11
Hal celebrated when Edward was adopted last month! Edward was a big, solid boy with a chip on his shoulder. Everyone avoided Edward. (Of course, in the normal environment of a real home, Edward has proven himself to be a sweetheart!) Hal still keeps an eye on Biff, another big boy who can put the run on other cats sometimes. Otherwise, Hal has some pretty congenial roommates. He was seen curled up in the easy chair with Snuggles a while ago. Snuggles prefers to avoid confrontations as much as Hal does. So it's not that Hal has to be an only cat, he just needs to live with cats who are as meek-natured as he is. He's a cheerful guy these days who always greets at least one volunteer by hopping up on her shoulders when she comes to clean his room on Thursdays. Hal loves perching on shoulders!

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