We at Cats in the City (CITC) are fortunate.
We have the privilege of caring for and loving so many wonderful cats. This is our experience with one special kiddo! There is a great big Maine Coon with whom we at CITC developed a unique bond. Many of you have gotten to know and love him too over the years! He’s orange and fluffy. He’s full of love, purrs, and happy drool. He is none other than the indelible, incomparable, and ineffable Lavaman! The crowd goes wild!!
When we first started caring for Lavaman, we had no idea just how significant we would be to each other’s lives.
We met Lavaman in 2017 when he began vacationing with us at our Sellwood location. His doting human traveled for work which meant we got to see Lavaman often. Indeed Lavaman was one of our frequent vacationers! Each time he visited, he showed us more of his purrsonality. We knew we were officially good friends when he began drooling all over us. Lavaman’s stays were full of lap time, bird watching on the catios, rolling in catnip, batting feather toys, window napping, and of course – drool.
One of our favorite things to see is a cat laying on their back with their belly exposed because it’s endearing and it shows a high level of comfort on their part. When Lavaman would lay on his back in the middle of the floor, it was nothing short of an event. He’s so big that we would have to adjust our workflow to account for his taking up so much floor space!
All remained routine for Lavaman over the years until 2020. Like many of us, the pandemic upheaved Lavaman’s life.
Lavaman’s human needed to relocate to Idaho to care for a relative. Lavaman stayed with us for several months before joining his human in Idaho. This was short lived though because the family proved to have severe allergies to cats. So Lavaman flew back to Portland to stay with us for an unspecified amount of time. Until now CITC might have been Lavaman’s second home, but now CITC was Lavaman’s primary home.
We made sure Lavaman’s days were full of joy and companionship and that he had all the best of what CITC had to offer. It was during this time that Lavaman showed us his love of kittens! Lavaman would light up and try to make himself look as small as possible whenever kittens were near. He would never approach a kitten. No no – that could scare them and he knew it. Instead, he always let kittens come to him. He just loved being near them and encouraging their confidence and playfulness. While the world was sorting out the complexities of the pandemic, we were making sure that Lavaman was happy.
Even though Lavaman continued to thrive during his extended stay with CITC, the intention was always for Lavaman to return home to his human. One day it became clear however that this would not happen and after 16 months the difficult decision was made to find Lavaman a new forever home.
Our promise to everyone was that we would find Lavaman a home where the love overflowed.
A home that would continue to treat Lavaman as he deserves to be treated – like family. In fact, we already had a home in mind! Our dear friends Kateri and her son Davis had recently said goodbye to their beloved cat Kona of 16 years. Kona was very special. He was the kind of cat that would climb onto a stranger’s shoulders to cover them in kisses and head bumps.
He was a one-of-a-kind and Kateri and Davis were understandably unsure whether they were ready for a new feline friend. Afterall, Kona couldn’t be replaced. But Kateri knew Lavaman from visiting CITC and knew how special he was. After many heartfelt discussions, she and Davis were ready to open their hearts, arms, and home to our orange friend. We were overjoyed because we knew that Kateri and Davis would provide Lavaman with that beautiful life we all imagined for him full of love and companionship. We at CITC were filled with so much pride the day we brought Lavaman to his new forever home because we knew that his best days were still ahead of him.
It’s been nearly two years since Lavaman joined Kateri and Davis’s family and what a wonderful two years it has been!
Kateri and Davis wanted Lavaman to integrate into their full lives, not just their home lives. So at 10 years old Lavaman learned to walk on a leash and became a bonafide Adventure Cat, joining Kateri and Davis on walks around the neighborhood, hikes in the woods, and trips to the farm. As you can imagine, a beautiful 20+lb cat walking on leash is going to draw attention and in no time Lavaman was on a first name basis with the neighborhood. The neighbors even wave to him when they see him sunbathing in his great big bay window! For our part, we are thrilled to still be a part of Lavaman’s world. Lavaman still vacations with us and regularly comes in for spa days. We even get to roll around with Lavaman whenever we visit his home!
Cats live long lives and sometimes twists and turns happen that impact how they live.
While we cannot stop life from happening to them, we can do our part to make sure that they live well and that their stories are bright. Lavaman’s story is bright and we are grateful to everyone, especially Kateri and Davis for making that happen! Incidentally, Kateri helped name Cats in the City and we feel a certain kismet that the cat care center she helped bring into this world in turn brought to her world Lavaman.
