Featured Pet: Ralph

We first heard about Ralph through one of our vet partners, knowing he was in desperate need of our help. His previous owner was away for two weeks and came home to find Ralph barely alive. When he was brought to the hospital, Ralph was unconscious from an untreated urinary blockage. Usually blockages can be treated with medication, but given his severe state, perineal urethrostomy surgery was necessary. Unable to afford and provide for Ralph’s care, his owner surrendered him to the hospital, leaving him with little options. Hearing of his situation, Ralph arrived to our Sanctuary in 2019.

It took about three months for Ralph to finally heal and get the “cone of shame” off. During that time, Ralph’s true personality started to shine! He loved being the life of the party and had no problem being the center of attention! He could talk to you all day long about his day and what he’s thinking. You’ll honestly find a hard time fitting in a word yourself! He loved play time, showing off all of his acrobatic moves in the air! Ralph was quite the social butterfly, making sure to get every person’s undivided attention all to himself! Ralph also proved to be quite mischievous! Somehow when Ralph is around, cupboards tend to magically open and items on counter get knocked down… how strange! If that wasn’t enough to fall in love with Ralph, he was also quite affectionate and cuddly! He loved being brushed, petted, and, of course, told how absolutely handsome he is!

Ralph certainly had his fair share of interested applicants, but unfortunately they weren’t able to meet his needs. Not only does Ralph need lots of enrichment and play time, but given that he’s experienced a urinary blockage in the past, many are deterred by any future medical needs. Once a cat experiences a urinary blockage, they do tend to be prone to it in the future. Though it’s not entirely understood why urinary obstruction occurs, usually infections, poor diet, or intense stress usually play a role. There are key signs of when a urinary blockage is occurring and his future home would need to keep an eye on him to prevent it from happening again, but otherwise he’s currently been doing well!

After about a year with us and no such luck finding someone that could provide for Ralph, a wonderful family wanted to have Ralph join their team! They were very experienced and comfortable with Ralph’s condition and were happy to provide Ralph the loving, caring home he needed. During the first initial months of his transition, Ralph was great and acclimating slowly. However, when meeting the rest of his feline siblings, Ralph was having a hard time getting along with them. He was social with the cats at the Sanctuary, though he always preferred human attention more. Now being in a home with other cats, the situation proved to be too stressful for Ralph. The family worked so hard to keep the home harmonious, but with Ralph’s condition, they made the difficult decision to return Ralph back to us.

Once Ralph transitioned back, he continues to be his adorable, silly, lovable self! He loves being the apple of your eye and wouldn’t have it any other way! He continues to enjoy lots of play time, brushing, petting, and training! Honestly, Ralph loves to do anything when he’s with his friends! He’s been recently doing nose work activities, utilizing his sense of smell in different food challenges and puzzles as a mental enrichment game! Of course, he’s an absolute champion every time! We now know Ralph needs to be an only pet in a home, but to be honest, the only pet you ever need is Ralph! His charming personality will have you falling in love the second you meet him! If you are looking to give a special cat lots of love and care, Ralph will return the love 10x more! You’ll never find a guy quite like him! If interested or if you’d like to learn more about Ralph, please contact our Helpline at 860-242-9999 or email [email protected]!