The Story of Doogie

Doogie is Duke’s cat buddy seen in the photo on the front page. I went to Ohio last November to visit some friends from a pet forum I’ve been a member of for a few years. Before I left, I found out that one of the cat members there was having to rehome a few of her cats because the landlord was complaining. So, I just happened to ask her if any of them got along with dogs. She told me she had one that was very laid back and not aggressive. That cat was Doogie. She lives in Michigan. So, on the morning I was leaving Ohio, I was to meet her so I could pick up my new kitty. She drove south and I drove north on I-75 and we met at a rest area. I wanted to visit for a few minutes but it was windy, cold and rainy so we just got him situated in my car. I took a photo of her with him. I had bought her a little cat ornament from the Cracker Barrel and it just happened to be an orangie like Doogie. She said when she opened it at home she just balled. I’m not happy she had to rehome her cats but I feel so very fortunate to have this big guy(he’s 19 pounds). We are picture crazy over at the pet site so she gets to see how he’s doing and read stories about his craziness. I caught him sitting like a human on the toilet the other day. Apparently, that’s his choice for his water supply. There are two huge water bowls and one little one in his kennel/litter box area. I wish I had had my camera because I can’t describe the look on his face when I caught him. It was priceless. i did, however, get one or two of him flying in the air last night while chasing a cat toy. They might be a bit blurry but I think they turned out good. I’ll have to upload them tonight.
Back to the story. After I picked up Doogie, I headed to Tennessee for a few days to visit relatives. I’ve got a cute photo of Doogie while he was in the motel. Here it is.
This is when I first started falling in love. That was the evening of the day I had picked him up. He would not stop roaming the motel room while I was trying to sleep. I was so tired! So, I thought that maybe he would sleep in the big kennel that he was in while being transported. Well, he’s got this obsessive compulsive way of scratching way too much after using the litter box. He’ll do the whole inside of the kennel. Don’t know why. He wouldn’t stay in the bathroom with the door closed without pawing at it, either. So, at 4 a.m. with it raining, I put him in the rental car. I had to get some sleep. I felt so guilty but I was so exhausted. The next night he was much better after settling down and meeting Duke(which happened with no problems, by the way). I’m amazed at how well they get along with each other. I didn’t realise how much I missed having a cat after Kitty Boy. That was the first time in my life I haven’t had a cat.