Roscoe hasn't had an easy life. The vet figured he's six or seven years old. He arrived with a puncture wound and a broken dew claw. He had several old fight wounds and scabs all over his body. His rescuer took him to the vet with the intention of keeping him. They wrote, "He first began showing up last summer and would not let anyone near him. Over time he would let us approach him and even get in the odd pet. On cold nights he would accept a bed in our heated cat house and became even more friendly. For the last few months he would cry at the back door to inform us we were late with breakfast. I believe that Roscoe has had a tough life and has had to fight for everything he got. However, when he is shown love and kindness he shows it right back!"
Sadly Roscoe tested positive for FIV which meant his rescuer couldn't keep him. When he arrived at Katie's Place, he was friendly from the start. A bit nervous at first, he soon mellowed and fit in among the other cats nicely. Clearly Roscoe had a home once. But he lost it long ago enough that he accumulated battle scars, caught FIV, and began to lose trust in people. Thankfully, this endearing little cat was rescued to enjoy love and safety again.

May/08
What a sweet fellow Roscoe is! He's settled into life in his communal room very well. When new cats arrive, that can be a bit unsettling for everyone at first. The new cat, alone among strangers, either hides or puts on a show bravado to let everyone know he won't be an easy mark. The other cats leave the newcomers alone though. When Freddy arrived and tried to put on an intimidating front, Roscoe felt intimidated all right. He spent most of his time on the porch for a while to avoid Freddy who was indoors. Thankfully that's over, and Roscoe and Freddy are comfortable indoors together. Roscoe isn't a scrapper at all and probably never was by choice. He's just a big, soft-hearted, lovable kitten who likes to be petted and enjoys a good game with a toy. Once we saw him sound asleep in a nest, still clutching his toy.

Sept/08
Roscoe is a loving guy although he's not one of the cats who crowd around us for attention when we arrive. He gets along with the other cats but he's not part of that gang. As a result, it's too easy to overlook him. The other cats can take our attention entirely. Roscoe does signal that he'd enjoy a visit, but his signals are drowned out by the cats who hunger for attention so much that they follow us around and glue themselves to our sides. Roscoe is just not demanding, and that kind of patience and acceptance costs him some attention he'd dearly enjoy.

Nov 15/08
One of our visitors today brought some toys for the cats. We distributed them and nearly gave a 'cat tunnel' to a room full of young cats. But they already had a lot of toys so we put it in The Boys' Pen. We didn't really expect these guys to show a lot of interest in it right away, but who knows! To our delight, Roscoe was captivated by it. We'd put it out on their porch and he spent at least 30 minutes playing with it. He was still playing when we left. The series of short video clips below show Roscoe being the big, silly kitten he is at heart.

May/09
Roscoe is always poking around looking for something new to amuse himself with. He can be a problem for some of the other cats. He's been seen throwing his weight around. Most likely he's bored and gets frustrated when there's nothing to do, so he makes sport of another cat. One volunteer said, "he can be a bully" and maybe he does feel some instinctive urge to assert top cat status if he's able to. But he remains a playful kitten at heart who just wants to have a good time and be loved. Give him some attention and he'll roll over and show his tummy in a gesture of trust and friendship.

Sept/09
A long, cold winter was enough to give a little monkey like Roscoe cabin fever. When summer arrived, he began spending much of his time outside. He liked to hang out in the far corner of their porch, and he sprawled there even in the warmest of weather. If it ever became uncomfortably hot for him, it didn't show on his face. He always had his regular Roscoe expression: calm yet friendly, with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
 
 
 
 

Oct 3/09
While petting Roscoe recently, a volunteer felt a peculiar lump under his chin. The vet said it was a wart, and Roscoe had that wart removed and two canines removed while he was under. A sample of the wart will be sent away to determine if it's cancerous. We couldn't cure it if it is cancerous, but we need to find out.

Oct 20/09
We got the results back on Roscoe's 'wart.' It's not cancerous. Phew!
 

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