Featured Pet: Captain Crunch

Captain’s story first began when he was trapped outside to be neutered as part of a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) project. When he was trapped and brought to the vet to be neutered, they actually discovered that he was quite friendly and seemed to have been socialized with people before. Though it’s unknown when he lived amongst people or how long he had been living life outdoors, the vet estimated he was around 3 years old. Once he was neutered and vetted, the local municipal shelter took Captain Crunch in to help him find a home.

The municipal shelter had found a home for Captain, but his transition to this new indoor home proved to be a bit more challenging than initially imagined. His adopter decided to return Captain due to how active and rambunctious he was. He was adopted a second time, and alas, it just wasn’t a good fit. Captain was quite a feisty guy with a big personality and had to relearn some better social behaviors. However, it was difficult to do provide Captain Crunch the one-on-one attention and training for him to succeed within the municipal shelter. Knowing his needs were greater than what they could provide at the time, the municipal shelter contacted Our Companions for help with this lively boy.

In September of 2020, Captain Crunch was welcomed to our Sanctuary. He was given a room of his own, accessible to his very own catio where he could freely enjoy the great outdoors within a safe, fenced area. Given that we had some background knowledge of his behaviors in his previous home, our dedicated Cat Team was able to initiate a training plan as soon as he arrived. Captain’s main challenge was that he had lots of energy, but he didn’t have the tools or knowledge to release that energy in positive ways. He wanted to be a cat, a feline predator that chases and catches prey! However, the only thing that is close by and moves are our legs, a behavior he kept practicing in his previous homes. The Cat Team worked diligently to redirect CC from going after legs, to going after toys- a much more positive way to release his energy! The team ensured CC’s group of friends was small and to be as consistent as possible to be sure that his training went well and was effective. It definitely took some time for his leg-catching behaviors to subside and to eventually get the hang of his new routine, but this smart boy figured things out!

The Cat Team loves trying out new ways to entertain and have fun with Captain! His intelligence truly shines when given a new food puzzle or enrichment game to figure out! Some people would even compare Captain to a Border Collie- smart, loves to learn new skills, active, and enjoys a good puzzle or challenge! During the warmer seasons, Captain became one of our play yards cats and would easily hop into his carrier to be transported over to our cat-accessible play yard. Having a fenced-in area where he could run to his heart’s content made Captain a happy boy! He could get the zoomies, lay out in the sun, or catch bugs that would fly around! As time went on, and his needs were being met, Captain began to relax more with his friends and started to enjoy being pet. A true win was when he sat on a staffer’s lap, purring away to all the pets he was receiving! To see him so comfortable with people, bonding and trusting humans, was such an incredible reward! Seeing his true potential made everyone’s hearts swoon!

This handsome, adventurous guy has been searching for his purrrfect match for awhile now. He might not be a match for everyone, but we know his special person is out there somewhere! As part of our adoptions, we love keeping in touch with adopters to provide support and guidance post-adoption. Captain would make a wonderful companion and would make sure each day is interesting, fun, and exciting! The Cat Team has even started to harness train him to make his outdoor time more accessible to people that might not have a catio structure. CC is FIV+, however cats with FIV can still live long, normal healthy lives. Captain would prefer an adult home where he’s the only pet and can have the run of the house! We imagine in a home, he would absolutely love the space to exercise and explore more! Given the chance to start a new chapter in a home of his very own alongside a compassionate, patient person, Captain Crunch can continue to thrive, bond, and be happy- and make someone happy in return! Learn more about this incredible feline by contacting our Helpline at 860-242-9999 or email [email protected]!