Milwaukee Record is working in partnership with Urban Cat Coalition to help find loving homes for area cats. Each week, we—with generous sponsorship from Skilos, A Family Pet Store—plan to highlight a feline friend that’s currently up for adoption by naming it “Milwaukee Record’s Cat Of The Week.” This week: Thumbs, an aspiring house cat with some extra digits.
Meet Thumbs! An orange tabby, aspiring house cat, and adorable agent of chaos. He often has custody of the singular orange cat brain cell. What he chooses to do with it is another matter. Thumbs does have thumbs and he has discovered they are useful.
Closet doors are merely a suggestion. A room you thought was off limits is just an interesting challenge. Something sitting “out of reach” of the refrigerator will suddenly be askew. At roughly 2.5 years old, Thumbs is still learning the finer points of civilized life. He’s made incredible progress and has discovered that beds are for sleeping, laps are pretty great, and humans can be trusted. Watching him blossom from outdoor guy to spoiled house cat has been incredibly rewarding.
He’s also a maniac for toys. He’ll throw the toys, then leap after them, pouncing around entertaining himself. Catnip kickers are especially beloved. If it can be batted, kicked, chased, or launched, Thumbs is interested. He’s also very food motivated and clever enough that he would be a great candidate for clicker training. He doesn’t know his name yet, but finger clicks and pointing seem to be perfectly acceptable forms of communication for him.
Because Thumbs is still learning how to house cat, he can get mouthy or nippy when he’s excited or overstimulated. He’s not being aggressive; his manners are just a work in progress. He can also play too roughly for small, timid cats, so any feline roomies should be confident, playful and able to handle his enthusiasm. He would also likely be perfectly happy as your one-and-only cat.
His ideal home will give him plenty of vertical territory because being up high makes him feel safe and happy. A tall cat tree, wall shelves, or other lookout posts would be wonderful. Without them, he will appoint his own lookout post, and you may not agree with his selection. He also loves watching the world through windows, so sturdy pet screens are important.
Thumbs would do best with adults or older kids and someone who appreciates a smart, busy, slightly ridiculous cat who’s still figuring out indoor life. Cat-savvy humans are especially welcome, particularly if there are other cats in the home. He’s not a perfectly polished house cat yet, but he’s a funny, clever, curious little guy who’s learning that life is pretty wonderful, one toy, nap and misdemeanor at a time.
About
Coat length
Short
House-trained
Yes
Characteristics
Affectionate, Friendly, Funny, Playful, Smart, Curious, Brave
Health
Vaccinations up to date, neutered
Good in a home with
Children, other cats
Prefers a home without
Status with dogs and other animals is unknown
DOB
7/25/24
