Meet Boots

Boots braves the living room to get some loves.

I picked up Boots at the same time I picked up Mishu. He had the saddest story and I just couldn't turn down this handsome young man.

Boots was born in the city shelter in Mesquite, Nevada. He lived the first part of his life in a cage and when he started to pace and fret like a caged lion, the shelter manager there arranged to have him moved to Ivins. There he was free to roam about one of the large cat rooms and play with other cats and he was much happier.

One of his safe sleeping spots is in the "bunk beds" in the foster room.

He is now about 10 months old and until I took him home he had never set paw in a house.

The poor little guy was scared to death. I kept him and Mishu - who had been in the same cat room at the shelter - in my foster room for the first two days. Boots spent the first day in the closet, then finally wandered out and could be found in one of the covered cat beds. I would go in to visit and he would run and hide. But if I sat down on the floor he would come slinking out, crouched low with eyes big as dinner plates. He would sniff at me, then curl up on my lap and purr like mad as I pet him. Any sudden movements or noises and he would run back into hiding again.

Boots feels safest in a cage, so I leave a carrier open for him when he gets spooked.

After a couple of days I let him and Mishu out to explore,  under closer supervision, of course. Mishu showed no fear, but Boots took forever to wander out the door. Then he found that the closet in my bedroom was a much better hiding place than the empty one in the foster room. He hid in there for 2 days, creeping out at night to get food.

He is slowly getting bolder, although he still needs a safe place to hide when he gets spooked. I have left one of the cat carriers open in the foster room and he runs there and hides when it all gets too much for him. He will come out to the living room now and crawl up into my lap while I'm on the couch. He absolutely loves to be petted and loved on. And his fur is silky soft and a pleasure to play with.

I'm having a hard time getting a photo of Boot's face. He is always in motion and is always sniffing at the camera. All I get are profile shots or extreme closeups of his nose.

At the rate he's going he will be the perfect lap cat within a few more weeks. He is still a baby and loves to play when he isn't scared to death. And he is learning that houses have all sorts of cool things to explore and soft places to sleep. He would love to come investigate your house.

Boots is adoptable through the Ivins Animal Shelter. You can get more info on his Petfinder profile, or you can visit the shelter in Ivins. And, of course, you can message me for more info on this dapper young gentleman.