This beautiful white cat was once a stray, abandoned by his owners when they moved out of their apartment complex. Now he has found his forever family with Kiley, whose wheelchair might scare other cats, but not him.
Cat Man Chris, a man who rescues and takes care of cats in his neighborhood, provided daily food and water for a stray cat colony. One day, he spotted a new cat among the crowd, a white male cat with lovely blue eyes.
A cuddly stray
According to Chris, the cat seemed to have been owned before. Many people in the neighborhood abandon their cats when they move out of their apartments.
The cat was friendly and vocal around humans, and he even let Chris pet him. When Chris gave him catnip, he loved it. Chris said:
“He would roll around and let me pet his belly and generally have a good time.”
Because the cat was so friendly, Chris decided he would do well in a home. He safely trapped the cat and took him to the Suncoast Animal League where he was checked up and searched for a microchip.
He didn’t have a microchip, so he stayed at the clinic, where he became an instant favorite because he was so cuddly. Chris said:
“He’d spot an empty lap from across the room!”
The fearless lap-finder
After about a week, the Suncoast Animal League reached out to Lori Griggs and her daughter, Kiley. They had visited the shelter and several others before, searching for a cat, but so far they hadn’t had any luck.
Kiley had to get around in a powered wheelchair, and it made noises that scared most cats away. She was having a hard time finding her perfect partner, a cat that would love her and wouldn’t run away.
But she hadn’t met Richey yet. When they arrived at the shelter, Richey used his amazing lap-finding powers and jumped right into Kiley’s lap without any fear. Nothing would scare him away from getting the cuddles he loved so much.
Now Kiley and Richey are the best of friends. He still loves to cuddle, and he sits in Kiley’s lap while she is doing homework. She has even taught him some tricks.
Richey is still as brave as can be around the wheelchair. Lori says:
“He could care less about her driving around the house. Actually, he is like a speed bump and doesn’t even move out of the way.”
That’s maybe a little too brave, Richey! Cats do love to get in the way, though. It just means more attention for them.
It’s a happy ending for Kiley and her super snuggly, lap-finding cat. It’s so wonderful that these two found each other!